The Children of Witches
by Bella516
Summary: Elphaba and Fiyero have been in hiding for 20 years.  No one knows that they’re still alive…but what happens when they send their daughter to Shiz and she falls in love with Glinda's son? Fiyeraba and Gloq
1. Prologue

Glinda the Good sat in her bed late at night. Tears streamed down her face as she held Elphaba's hat in her hands. "Oh Elphie, Why!?" She quickly set down the hat and began to sob into her pillow, hoping to muffle her cries.

It had only been a month since Elphaba had met her untimely demise at the hands of the young farm girl, Dorothy. Since the incident took place, Glinda had purposely filled her schedule with tasks to avoid facing the fact that Elphaba was really gone. It hadn't been hard either; Oz had fallen into disorder ever since the Wizard had left. Glinda the Good had become the leader of Oz and was struggling to keep everything together. She had used all her time initiating reforms and granting rights back to the Munchkins and Animals. Then by the time her busy days had ended, she was always so tired that she fell straight into bed.

But now that things in Oz were finally beginning to fall back into place, Glinda was finding herself less tired and with more free time. This time allowed the truth to sink in: Elphie was gone. She wasn't coming back.

Within the past two nights, Glinda had had her first two real cries over her lost friend. Elphaba had been the best and most real friend that Glinda had ever had. Without her, Glinda felt like a piece of her was missing.

After a half hour of sobbing, Glinda finally cried herself to sleep.

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Miles and miles away from where Glinda was crying herself to sleep; a thin green woman sat by the window of her small house. She was so lost in thought that she failed to notice the scarecrow silently approaching her from behind.

Fiyero rested a hand on Elphaba's shoulder, causing her to jump as her thoughts were disrupted. "Sorry to startle you love, but you really should come back to bed…it's late." Said Fiyero gently.

Elphaba covered Fiyero's straw hand with her own. "I know, but I just can't sleep. I'm worried about her Fiyero, I just wish there was some way that I could let her know that I'm safe."

"I know…but to contact Glinda would only put us and her in danger. Glinda wouldn't want you to endanger yourself….she would want you to stay safe and hidden. Trust me, there's no need to worry about Glinda, she's strong. She will be fine."

Elphaba sighed. "I suppose you're right but I just miss her so much." A tear slid down Elphaba's face. She wiped it away, wincing at the familiar sting of the moisture against her green skin.

Fiyero turned Elphaba around and engulfed her in a huge hug. Elphaba let Fiyero hold her for a few minutes before allowing him to silently lead her back to their bed.


	2. Glinda's New Family

Chapter 2: Glinda's new family

Glinda Upland sat in her home in the Emerald City nursing her small child. Her son, Torrance Reed Upland, had been born a mere three months earlier. As Torrance finished his meal, Glinda smiled down at him and softly patted his back waiting for a burp.

Glinda finished the feeding and placed little Torrance in his crib. As she turned to leave the room she nearly bumped into her husband who had just walked in.

"Good afternoon Boq" She said, greeting him with a smile. Boq smiled back and gave her a warm kiss. "How's our little one?" he asked. "As cute and happy as ever" she answered. "Wonderful." He said. "Since we both have some free time at the moment, why don't we have some tea brought up to us?" "Sounds great." She answered.

As Glinda shared tea with her husband she thought back to how they got together. Back when she was called Galinda, she never would have expected to have ended up happily married to Biq. But when Elphaba died, Glinda felt that only Boq understood her loss. She had first bumped into Boq unexpectedly in the center of the Emerald City. She had been shocked by his tin appearance and had invited Boq over for lunch to catch up on each other's lives.

During lunch she learned how Elphaba had turned Boq into a man of tin. Boq had expressed to her his anger and hate towards Elphaba. But as the pair reminisced on fond memories with Elphie, Boq began to realize he had made a horrible mistake. How could he have ever thought that Miss Elphaba, who he had known so well, could be wicked?

Boq ended up confessing to Glinda that he missed Elphaba. He told her how he forgave Elphaba for turning him into a tin man, and only wished that she were still alive to forgive him for the awful things he had said.

After hearing this, Glinda had admitted to Boq that she had never believed that Elphie was wicked. She told him about how she had met with her just moments before her death, and how she missed her so terribly. Boq and Glinda bonded over their shared loss.

After that lunch Glinda and Boq began to meet much more frequently and eventually fell in love. Boq helped her to run Oz and even did everything he could to help her learn to read the Grimmerie. Glinda had promised Elphaba that she would try to learn to read it and had done everything she could to try and do so.

Glinda's efforts had made no progress until one day about six months after Elphaba's death. She and Boq had been in her room for three hours and still Glinda had achieved nothing. She was becoming thoroughly frustrated and finally just shouted a series of random words she saw as they moved about the page. When nothing immediately happened she threw her wand with a frustrated cry. As her wand hit the floor a bright white light flooded the room.

Boq cried out and when the light was gone he was left unconscious on the floor. Glinda merely stared at him, for she was unable to move. She was still sitting in the same place when Boq woke up about 10 minutes later. He stood up with a groan and immediately noticed that something felt different. He looked into the mirror and gasped. He saw that he was no longer a man of tin. Whatever spell Glinda had cast, it had cancelled out the one performed by Elphaba months before. Boq was a regular man again.

Glinda's thoughts came back to the present day as she finished her tea. After their tray had been cleared she began to change and prepare for their dinner with the new headmaster of Shiz University, a pleasant man called Finnigan Kopper.


	3. It's a Girl

**A/N: This is my first story, so i dont really know if its good or not. review and let me know if you think i should continue it or not**

"Push Elphie, Push!!" Fiyero cried. Elphaba cried out as she gave birth to her first child. Finally her efforts were rewarded with the cries of a newborn baby. Elphaba relaxed, exhausted from giving birth.

Fiyero had tears in his eyes as he carefully cut the umbilical cord and left the room to clean the baby up. It wasn't long before Fiyero returned with the child, who was now wrapped in a blanket. He approached the bed as Elphaba sat up. With a huge smile Fiyero said "Elphaba Thropp….meet your new baby girl."

"She's a girl?" Elphaba asked excitedly. "Yes!" Fiyero said with a laugh. He gently handed their daughter to Elphaba who looked into their new child's face.

She was a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Their daughter had wide chocolate eyes and the top of her small head was covered in short brown hairs. But what made Elphaba happiest was the color of their baby's skin……she had beautiful flawless white skin. Elphaba was so relieved. Throughout the whole pregnancy she had been haunted by the fear that her child would have to suffer through the same life she did. But luckily her daughter had inherited her deep brown eyes instead of her vibrant green skin.

The little family could not have been happier.


	4. Avery Tiggular

**A/N: just a short chapter...sorry**

Chapter 4:

Elphaba sat in bed holding her precious daughter. She and Fiyero had decided to name her Avery Glinda Tiggular.

As Elphaba held Avery she thought about everything that had happened since she and Fiyero had gone into hiding. At first she had been miserable, constantly worrying about Glinda. But after she became pregnant she began to worry much less.

Along with this, Elphaba and Fiyero began to notice that for some miraculous, unexplained reason; the spell Elphaba had cast on Fiyero was beginning to slowly wear off. Every day he seemed to become more and more human. Life had become happy for the couple.

Elphaba fell asleep with a smile on her face and with Avery still in her arms. Fiyero walked in, tired after their long day, and joined his wife and child in bed. The three of them drifted off into a peaceful sleep


	5. Farewell

**18 years later**

Avery stomped her foot impatiently. "Come on Father! We have to leave! It will take a couple days to get to the Emerald City."

Fiyero stood looking at his reflection in the mirror. With a pitiful sigh he ran his hand through his newly darkened hair and his new beard. Elphaba walked up behind him.

"Don't worry!" she said with a laugh. "The spell is only temporary. Once you return home I'll return your hair to its original color and you can shave off that beard. Until then, it stays. We can't risk someone recognizing you."

"I know" said Fiyero. "I guess I can deal with it until after I come back." "Good," responded Elphaba. "Besides…I think the beard makes you look rugged."

Fiyero turned around and hugged Elphaba around the waist. "Oh really?" he said with a laugh. He only had time to give her a quick kiss before their daughter started yelling for him again.

With a sigh Fiyero let go of Elphaba and exited their house to where Avery was waiting to leave. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's go." He said, looking into his daughter's annoyed eyes. "Finally!" Avery exclaimed.

Avery couldn't wait to leave. She was so excited to go and meet kids her own age and live in an actual city. She was excited but also knew that she had to avoid drawing attention to herself in order to ensure that her parents' existence remained a secret. Still, that responsibility was a small price to pay in exchange for receiving an education and getting to meet some friends.

Elphaba came out and wished them farewell. She hugged her daughter and sent her off with a sad smile. She couldn't believe Avery was already leaving them to go attend Shiz. Her own days at the university seemed so very long ago.

Elphaba turned to Fiyero and went over the plan one last time. "Ok, you are to take Avery to the outskirts of the Emerald City. From there she'll enter the city by herself and catch a train to Shiz."

"Yes Elphie, I believe we are all very clear on the plan. It will all go smoothly, don't worry." Fiyero hugged Elphaba and gave her a kiss. "Yeah, it will all be fine. I have the money for my ticket and I know that I'm unrolled under the name Avery Cotton." Elphaba smiled and gave them both a final hug before letting them leave.

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"Torrance! Would you hurry! You are going to miss your train!" Glinda shouted irritably at her 18 year old son.

A tall, handsome young man with messy brown hair and soft green eyes came down the stairs, lugging a large suitcase behind him. "I'm coming Mom! Calm down. And for the last time would you please just call me Reed? It's so much shorter then Torrance."

Glinda frowned at her son and said "No I will not. Your father and I chose the name Torrance as your first name and Reed as your middle name for a reason. We did so with the intent to call you Torrance. Now get in the carriage."

Torrance, or Reed as he preferred to be called, sighed. Today was the big day, the day he was finally leaving home to go and attend Shiz University. Now he would get to live freely without his parents' constant nagging. He threw his suitcase into the carriage and turned to say goodbye to his family.

Boq smiled proudly; it was unreal how fast his son had grown up. He hugged Reed goodbye and held his shoulders as he gave him some last minute advice. "Now remember son, be careful up there. The fact that you're Glinda the Good's son does not mean you'll receive any special treatment at Shiz. Your mother and I made sure of that."

Reed smiled reassuringly "I know Dad. Don't worry I'll stay out of trouble."

Reed said goodbye to his 14 year old sister next. "Bye Elphie, try not to miss me too much." His younger sister scoffed. "Yeah, I'm just so devastated that I now have to live without my brother around to annoy me."

Reed smiled and said, "I know that deep down your little heart is breaking. Even if you won't admit it." Elphie smiled and rolled her eyes.

Reed finally turned to his mother. Tears were rolling down Glinda's cheeks as she bid her son farewell.

"Oh Mom, don't cry. I'll write every now and then and be back to visit before you know it." Reed hugged his mom tightly. She returned the hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll miss you dear. Write to us as soon as you get there so that we know you arrived safely." "Ok" Reed replied and with a final wave goodbye to his family stepped into the carriage.


	6. Aboard the Train to Shiz

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews...don't be afraid to leave more, haha**

Reed stored his luggage and boarded the train. The train was full of students, travelers, and businessmen; all bustling around trying to get settled before the train left its station. Reed walked through the different compartments trying to find an empty room.

He reached the back of the train without finding any free space. Finally he opened the last compartment door to find a single girl sitting in it. Seeing as it was the closest thing to empty he had found, Reed decided to settle for it.

The girl sitting by the window was reading a book. She seemed to be submerged in what she was reading and hadn't noticed that Reed had opened the door.

"Um…excuse me?" Reed asked, clearing his throat.

The brunette looked up from her book with an expression of surprise on her face.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

"That's ok. I was just wondering if it would be ok if I sat in here with you."

"Sure, that's fine Master…."

"Reed."

"Master Reed. Yes I would be happy to share my compartment with you."

"Thank you very much. Are you on your way to Shiz too?"

"I sure am." She said with a wide smile.

"Me too…what's your name?"

"Avery"

"Well it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Avery." He said with a smile. Avery returned the smile and returned to reading her book.

Reed studied the girl with interest. She was tall and thin and had straight brown hair and big brown eyes. Her eyes shone with interest and intelligence as she studied the pages of her book. She was pretty enough and seemed nice, but Reed figured that she wasn't his type. Reed didn't like to spend his free time studying; and he had read very few books without being forced to. But contrary to the popular belief of his peers, he was actually pretty smart, just incredibly lazy.

Reed quickly lost interest in his new travel mate and closed his eyes. Before long he had drifted off into a light sleep.

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Avery felt Reed's eyes rest on her as she read her book. She decided not to meet his gaze and instead further indulged herself within her book.

By the time that Avery decided to look up she found that Reed was fast asleep in his seat across from her. She took the moment as an opportunity to look him over.

The young man had perfectly messy brown hair that had fallen into his closed green eyes. He had a carefree air around him and Avery imagined that he was the kind of person that most people felt incredibly comfortable around.

Avery though felt very uncomfortable around him. She was naturally shy and the fact that the boy was cute and charming made her feel even shyer. Suddenly she found herself worrying about how she looked and what Reed thought of her. She had never felt so self conscious before and wondered why she was now feeling that way.

If all the new people she was going to meet at school made her feel as self conscious as Reed did, then she was going to have a very stressful year.


	7. Welcome to Shiz!

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! and btw, for this chapter I borrowed the name Trism from Son a Witch**

The pair finished their trip without talking much. Reed spent a lot of the time sleeping and Avery used the time to finish her book.

As the train pulled up to the station, Reed and Avery stood up and stretched. Reed waited for Avery to put her book in her bag before giving her a small bow.

"Well Miss Avery, it has most definitely been a pleasure traveling with you. See you in school."

Avery acknowledged his bow with a small nod and a smile. "Yes, uh, see you around." She stammered nervously.

Avery felt sudden butterflies appear in her stomach as Reed held the compartment door open for her. Still smiling, she quietly exited the small room with Reed following behind her.

Once they exited the train the two quickly lost track of each other in the large crowd. Neither of them really noticed though, for they were too distracted by their new environment. Avery quickly regained her composure as she claimed her luggage and took her stuff up to the room she had been assigned.

Avery swung her room's door open to reveal an empty room with two beds and an adjoining bathroom. With a tired sigh she picked a bed and laid back on it. She decided to get some sleep before her roommate arrived.

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Reed arrived at his room to find that his roommate, who was also his best friend, had already arrived and unpacked.

"Hey!" Trism yelled with a smile, greeting him with a clap on the back. "How was your train ride?"

"Good. And yours?" Reed responded, returning the smile.

His green eyed friend ran a hand through his short blonde hair and yawned. "It was crowded, but at least I got here in one piece." He said with a chuckle.

"That's good. Well let me put my clothes away and then we can go check out the campus and get our schedules."

"Sounds good buddy"

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Avery awoke to find a petite blonde haired girl unpacking her stuff. The girl, noticing that she was now awake, greeted her with a smile.

"Good afternoon! I'm glad to see that you're awake now. It's great to meet you, my name's Melody."

"It's great to meet you too Miss Melody. My name is Avery."

"Oh, just call me Melody. We're roommates after all, there's no need for formal titles between us."

Avery smiled, relieved that she could relax and forget the usual social formalities with her new friend. "All right then Melody. Do you want to go get our schedules?"

"Sure! Oh I hope we have some classes together!" The perky blonde said as her blue eyes flashed with excitement.

Melody and Avery walked down to the admissions office to receive their schedules. After doing so they discovered that they had two classes together, history and politics.

"Oh how wonderful! You have an interest in politics too?" asked Melody excitedly.

"Yeah." Responded Avery, who was somewhat pre occupied with studying her schedule. She was taking history, politics, sorcery, and an informative class on Animals. She silently wondered if Reed was going to be in any of her classes.

"Well….what should we do now?" Melody asked.

"Ummm….I think there's a welcome by the headmaster for all new students that starts in a few minutes"

"Really? How fabulous! Let's go." Melody replied grabbing Avery's arm and pulling her along. Avery went with Melody, amused by the fact that Melody seemed to find everything so exciting.

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Reed and Trism stood among the crowd of new students waiting for the headmaster of Shiz to approach the podium.

Finally a balding man stepped onto the platform and addressed them.

"Welcome students, welcome to Shiz University! I am the headmaster of this wonderful place, and you may all call me Professor Kopper! I can't tell you how excited I am to meet all of you. I hope that here at Shiz you will find everything to your liking…."

Reed grew bored of Professor Kopper's speech and looked around at his classmates. There were young men and women of all types standing around him. Some seemed to be intently listening to the professor and some seemed to be zoning out.

A familiar face caught Reed's eye. He spotted Avery about 40 feet away from him, standing with an attractive blonde girl. Avery seemed to be soaking up every word the professor said while her companion was fidgeting with the bottom of her skirt distractedly. With a small smile Reed directed his attention back to the headmaster as he finished his speech.

"So kids, go and get settled. Feel free to explore the campus, and don't forget, classes start tomorrow. I will be dropping in to your classrooms to check up on how everything is going. I will see you all tomorrow." Professor Kopper stepped down from the podium and the crowd began to disperse.

"I'm starving," complained Trism. "Let's go find some lunch." Reed agreed, suddenly realizing how hungry he was himself. The pair went off to find an early dinner.

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"Well that was nice. What should we do now Avery?" asked Melody, secretly thankful that the speech was over.

"It's pretty hot out here. Let's go hang out in the dorm for awhile." decided Avery. The new friends walked back to their dorm.


	8. Getting to Know Eachother

**A/N:This chapter is mostly about Avery and Melody getting to know eachother, the next one will have another interaction between Avery and Reed...keep the reviews coming...btw I changed my penname...sorry if it confused anyone. .**

Avery and Melody sat in their pajamas on Avery's bed. It was the night before classes started and both were anxious to begin their academic careers at Shiz. They decided that before going to bed they should chat and get to know each other.

"So roomie, tell me about yourself. What's your family like? Where are you from? I don't even know your last name!" Melody exclaimed.

Avery had been expecting this. She casually told Melody the lie that she and her mother had come up with. "Well, I'm an only child and my parents live in a small house in Gillikin. We're just a small, plain, ordinary family." Avery said with a fake smile. _Yeah right, _she thought to herself_. My family is __anything__ but ordinary._

"Oh how nice! But you forgot to tell me your last name." said Melody with a laugh.

Avery joined in her laughter. _Yeah I also forgot to tell you that my mother is the Wicked Witch of the West and my father used to be a scarecrow,_ she thought guiltily. "My last name's Cotton. So now that you know about me, how about you?"

"Oh well my family was originally located in the Emerald City, but we've since moved to Munchkinland. My parents were tired of the bustling city and wanted to move to a more quiet and rural setting. I have one older sister. Her name is Carissa and she's married and lives with her husband in the Emerald City. Oh and my last name is Varing."

"Oh, your family sounds nice" Avery said. _And normal…_she thought to herself.

"Yeah they are. So Avery….How do you like Shiz? Have you made any other friends or met any cute guys?"

At the mention of cute guys, Reed's smiling face appeared in her head. She blushed involuntarily.

"Oooh! I saw that! So you _have_ met a cute guy! Do you like him?"

Avery sighed. She figured she might as well tell Melody the truth; after all she was her only friend so far. "Well I met him on the train here. His name is Reed and well I don't know if I like him. I mean when I'm around him I feel so nervous and shy. But at the same time I like being around him, although I hardly know anything about him. I don't know though, no guy has really made me feel this way before."

Melody's eyes widened. "You mean you have never had a crush before!?"

Avery's throat tightened nervously. How was she supposed to explain to Melody that she hadn't grown up around any guys beside her father? She couldn't. Not without blowing her cover.

"Well…what I mean is…umm….well….not like this." She said, recovering quickly. "I've had small crushes on other guys, but none have made me feel the way I do around Reed."

"Oh how cute! You really like him." Melody said happily.

"Yeah…I guess so…" Admitting it out loud made the feeling a lot more real for Avery. Suddenly a conversation she had had with her mother the night before her departure popped into her mind.

_Elphaba and her daughter sat by the fire, discussing Avery's soon to be new chapter in her life. _

"_Now dear," Elphaba had said seriously, "you have to make a vow to yourself and to us that no matter how much you trust any friend that you make, that you will __not__ reveal our secret to them. No matter what you cannot betray our true identities. Not even my very own best friend knows that I'm alive." A pang of guilt had hit Elphaba as she thought of Glinda._

"_I won't tell anyone. I swear. I would never do that, I know what the consequences would be." said Avery quietly._

"_Good. I mean even if you were to fall in love with a trustworthy man, he would not be able to know," said Elphaba. Then with a smirk she added, "And if you do find a boyfriend…don't make the same mistake I did and fall for a boy as foolish as your father." _

"_Hey!" Fiyero had suddenly cut in, looking up from the newspaper he had found earlier. "I happen to prefer the term 'brainless'." All three of them laughed._

Avery giggled slightly as she remembered this and wondered if Reed was as brainless as her own father. But her smile quickly faded as she thought about her parents; she already missed them.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Melody inquired, watching Avery's expression change.

"Nothing," responded Avery, forgetting about her parents for now. "But yeah, I guess I do like Reed."

"Great! I'll have to find out about him for you!" said Melody, clapping her hands.

"No, please don't." said Avery worried about what Melody had in mind.

"Don't worry. I won't do anything without your approval." Melody said comfortingly.

Avery wasn't convinced. _What have I gotten myself into_ she thought worriedly. Her thoughts were disrupted as Melody yawned loudly.

"Well I'm tired; I think I'm going to go to sleep. I want to be rested for our first day of classes." Melody said, rubbing her eyes.

"Sounds good. I'll see you in the morning." And with that Melody turned out the lights and got into bed. She fell asleep with thoughts of Melody, her parents, and Reed whirling around her head.

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Melody and Avery woke up right on time and quickly got dressed. Avery chose a simple white blouse and navy blue skirt and left her straight hair down. Melody curled her hair and chose a cute, yet simple sun dress.

The new friends walked to their first class together, history. They arrived to their classroom a little early and chose seats next to each other close in the front of the room. Their professor was a tall man with grey hair and a small beard. Avery glanced at her schedule and saw that his name was Professor Schwitz.

Before too long the rest of the class filed in. Avery kept her eyes peeled for Reed, but was disappointed to find that none of the classmates walking in were him. Finally, about a minute before the bell rang, a good-looking blonde boy rushed in, dragging Reed behind him. Avery's heart soared. Reed looked even cuter than when she last saw him. His auburn hair was still wet from the shower and he was dressed in a green collared shirt that made his eyes pop.

Avery couldn't help but gaze at him as he and his friend found seats near the back of the room. Melody noticed Avery's obvious staring.

"Is that him?" she asked quietly.

"Uh huh," said Avery, turning back around.

"You were right! He's really cute!"

Suddenly their conversation was disrupted as Professor Schwitz began the lesson.

Avery paid attention and took notes, determined not to let Reed's presence distract her from her studies. Melody on the other hand watched Reed out of the corner of her eye. She tried to note anything about the boy that she could and noticed that he seemed to be close friends with the blonde boy he had entered with. Melody decided that she would have to find a way to talk to Reed's companion to get information about him for Avery.

She spent the rest of the class cooking up a way to get the scoop on Reed from his friend.


	9. You'll Never Guess Who I Talked to

**A/N: thanks for the reviews! haha i just found out yesterday that Idina Menzel has a nephew named Avery...**

The bell rang, signaling the end of first period. Avery and Melody quickly gathered their things and wished each other luck as they headed to their next classes.

Avery arrived at her next class, the one on Animals, and sat in the middle of the room. The class filled up quickly until there were only a couple seats left. Reed burst through the door right before the bell rang, quickly claiming one of the remaining seats, which also happened to be right next to Avery.

Reed, suddenly realizing who he had sat next to, turned to Avery. "Hey! Avery, right? What's new?"

Avery shifted nervously in her seat. "Oh, hey! Reed. I'm good." As the bell rang Professor Kopper walked in.

"Good morning students! How was your first class?" The class mumbled a variety of responses.

"Yes, yes, very good. Well as I stated yesterday, I'm just stopping in to say hi and get to know all of you. Let me see…is there anyone in here that I already know? Ah, yes! Master Torrance Upland! How are you my boy?"

Reed blushed slightly at being singled out. "Uh, I'm good sir." He said, slightly embarrassed.

"How are your parents, Boq and Glinda?" As the professor asked this, some people in the class gasped with shock. The ones who didn't were the students that were already aware that Reed was Glinda the Good's son. Avery, however, was one of those who gasped.

"They're good sir." he responded casually, trying to ignore the stares.

"I see, I see. Fabulous. Well students have fun! And remember; if you ever have any problem just come see me." And with that, Professor Kopper turned and strode out of the classroom.

As Professor Kopper left, Reed noticed that about half his classmates were still staring at him with interest. _Great_… He thought, shaking his head._ Thanks a lot professor, unwanted attention was exactly what I was looking for. _

Avery gaped at Reed along with her classmates. "You!? You're Glinda the Good's son?!"

"The one and only," Reed mumbled grumpily.

"But, but I thought your name was Reed, not Torrance?"

"Technically it is Torrance. But I prefer Reed."

"Well ok….but still…how is that possible??" Avery asked dumbly.

"Look, do I really need to explain the birds and the bees? Just because I'm Glinda's son doesn't mean I'm not like everyone else. Don't treat me differently just because my mom is involved in politics. I do not want to be judged because of my parents." He answered angrily.

Avery sighed, feeling guilty for acting so stunned. If anyone should understand how he felt it was her. She, like him, definitely did not want to be judged for who her parents were. The only thing was this posed a definite problem for her. She definitely could not become involved with Glinda (a.k.a her mother's best friend)'s son. If anyone was to figure out that she was Elphaba's daughter it would probably be Glinda. She promised her mother that no matter her feelings, she wouldn't put their secret at risk. She'd have to think about this.

"I know. I'm sorry Reed. I won't treat you differently, I promise. You seem like a nice guy, most people would revel in the limelight if their mom was famous."

Reed smiled, now feeling guilty for having snapped at her. "Thanks. You're nice too Avery, really nice." He meant it too. Avery seemed like a good potential…..friend.

Avery smiled in response, an internal struggle taking place behind her brown eyes. She really liked Reed, but what about her family and their safety?

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While Reed and Avery got to know each other in their class, Melody was making small talk with someone too.

"So you and that Reed boy seem to be close friends, huh?" she asked in a casual tone.

Trism yawned, slightly curious as to why this girl was so interested in Reed. Actually, there wasn't much to be curious about. Most girls were interested in his friend. "Yeah, we've known each other for a long time."

"How sweet; best friends forever. So…..do you know if Master Reed has a girlfriend?"

A knowing smirk appeared on Trism's face. "No, lucky for you he's single."

Melody was thrown off by the statement. "Huh? Lucky for me? What do you mea…….Ohhhhhhhhhhh." she said, realization dawning on her face. "No, no, no. You are mistaken Master Trism. It is not me who is interested in your friend. I am trying to get information for my friend."

Trism chuckled, obviously not believing her. "Ok well, whatever. Yes, Reed is single. No, he does not have a crush on anyone."

Melody smiled. "Thank you. Oh, and have a nice afternoon" she added as the bell rang.

Avery and Reed left class together, chatting away. Before they parted ways Reed stopped Avery.

"Hey, my roommate and I are going to dinner tonight. Do you want to come?"

"Sure!" responded Avery eagerly. She quickly hid her wide smile with her hand.

"Cool, meet us in front of the fountain at six, see you later Avery."

Still smiling, Avery ran off to her dorm to tell Melody what had happened. When she arrived at her dorm Melody was already there, waiting for her. Melody leapt up when she saw Avery and ran over to her with a smile. Avery smiled equally as big and at the same time the two exclaimed, "You'll never guess who I talked to today!"


	10. Dinner and a Future Date

Avery looked at Melody curiously. "Who did you talk to?"

"I talked to that friend of Reed's! His name is Trism and he told me that Reed is single and doesn't currently like anyone. This is perfect for you; you can catch his eye first!"

Avery smiled. "I think I already have! We had class together and talked a lot and then he invited me to dinner with him and Trism!"

"Really? Oh how great! Ok, well I'm going to take a bath and then I'll help you get ready."

"Ok." Avery agreed.

While Melody took her bath, Avery thought about her situation. True, he was Glinda's son. But, it wasn't like they were getting serious or anything. Heck, they weren't even together……yet.

She finally decided that as long as she was extra secretive and things didn't get too serious, it was ok to have some fun. After all, Reed was a really nice guy…

Melody's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Alright! We have two hours to find you an outfit, do your hair, and do your make up."

"Ok, well I already have an outfit picked out."

"Let me see it."

Avery went to her closet and pulled out a blue sweater and a black skirt that went to her knees. "Yes, that is perfect. It's cute but it doesn't look like you put _too_ much effort in. Now come into the bathroom, and we can figure out what to do with your hair."

Avery followed Melody to the mirror and they began to think about what to do to her hair. About an hour later, Avery's silky hair was in gentle curls and had a single black pin in it, preventing any curls from falling into her face.

Forty five minutes later Avery was also dressed and had her make up on. She and Melody looked in the mirror, admiring their work. "He won't know what hit him!" said Melody, giggling. "Now you better go before you're late. Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do." Melody ushered her out of the door with a wink.

------------------------------------

Trism and Reed stood in front of the fountain at 5:55. "Where's that girl? I'm starving!"

Reed rolled his eyes. "You're always hungry. She'll be here in just a few clock ticks, we're a little early."

"Yeah, yeah. So tell me about this girl Reed. Do you like her?"

"Avery? No, we're just friends. She's really nice though."

"Oh, I see, that's cool I guess. Wait, is that her walking over?"

Reed looked over to see Avery walking over. His eyebrows rose when he saw her. She was wearing an outfit that fit her very nicely and complimented her curves. Her hair was a sea of beautiful, brown curls. He heard Trism whistle softly.

"That's the girl your _just friends_ with? Well I guess that's good news for me then. I guess one man's loss is another man's gain."

"Good evening Miss Avery." Reed said with a smile as she walked up to them.

"Good evening." She responded shyly.

"Allow me to introduce you to my roommate Trism." Reed motioned to his friend.

Trism gave an exaggerated bow and took Avery's hand, "Madame, the pleasure is all mine." He said, giving her a playful wink.

She giggled at his antics and greeted him in response. Reed cleared his throat, wanting to draw Avery's attention away from Trism. "Let's go, shall we?"

His companions agreed and the trio started walking towards a small restaurant on the edge of the Shiz campus. When they arrived they were quickly seated at a small table near the back of the building.

Their waiter came over to order their drinks and, upon seeing Avery, gave her a wink. "Now how did a beautiful young lady like you, find yourself in the company of two blokes like these?" The waiter laughed. "I'm just joking, lads." He said upon seeing the look of annoyance on Reed's face. The waiter proceeded in taking their drink orders and left.

"Well he seemed nice." Trism remarked sarcastically.

"What? He really was nice." Avery said in his defense.

Trism laughed, elbowing her playfully. (Causing Reed to bite his lip in annoyance) "Well you would think so, now wouldn't you Miss Avery? You had him eating out of the palm of your hand."

"Nonsense!" she said laughing. Reed almost let a small growl of annoyance escape his throat, before stopping himself. _Why am I acting this way? They're both my friends, if they like each other I should be happy for them. I mean…I already decided that Avery wasn't my type, right? Yeah definitely….she is __just__ a friend. I should be ashamed of my behavior! What kind of friend am I? In fact…to make up for my current grumpiness I should tell Avery what a great guy Trism is whenever I find the opportunity. _

Their waiter returned with their drinks and took their food orders. He gave Avery a wink as he took her order but stopped there when he received a glare from Trism.

The trio chatted away as they waited for their food. The more that Reed talked to Avery, the more he liked her…._as a friend, right? Right….hopefully. _As they neared the end of their meal Trism excused himself to use the restroom. _This is my chance. _Reed thought_. I'll redeem myself and tell Avery about what a great couple she and Trism would make. _Reed gulped and hushed the small voice in his head that was screaming at him not to do it.

-----------------------------------------------

Avery watched Trism leave for the bathroom. She was having a great time, the food was good and Reed and Trism were both great company. Reed was opinionated and kind and Trism was funny and outspoken.

As Trism left, Avery looked across the table at Reed. She was surprised to see that he looked disgruntled and unhappy.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Um nothing…" lied Reed. "But hey do you know what I was thinking?"

"What?" Avery asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"You and Trism would make a really great couple. He's a really nice guy and he seems to like you."

Avery's heart sunk. She was too afraid to respond, worrying that her voice would give away her feelings. Sure Trism was handsome and funny, but she already liked Reed. She wanted to be a great couple with Reed. But then a small voice spoke up at the back of her head. _Who knows? This is probably for the better. Trism is a great guy. And this way you won't have to worry about Reed's mom. Besides you can still become great friends with Reed._

"Avery? Are you ok?" Reed asked, suddenly wondering if he had said something wrong.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Wait so….Trism likes me?" she asked, still feeling hurt.

"He sure does. And I think you should go for it. He may be a bit of a goofball, but he's great." Reed avoided looking Avery in the eye.

"Right…well Trism is really nice…so yeah….it's worth a shot." Avery blinked back a tear.

Trism returned from the bathroom cheerfully. "Hope you guys didn't miss me too much." Avery and Reed smiled weakly.

They finished their meal in mostly silence. Trism periodically tried to break the silence with a joke or comment, but his companions' lack of response eventually quieted him.

They paid and walked back to their dorms. The boys' dorm, Briscoe Hall, was closer than Crage Hall, so when they reached Briscoe Hall, Reed stopped walking.

"Hey um…I'm feeling pretty tired. I'll see you tomorrow Avery, thanks for coming." He managed a smile and began walking towards his dorm before Avery could respond.

For some reason unknown to himself, Reed felt miserable. He just wanted to crawl in bed and go to sleep; which was exactly what he did.

Trism walked Avery to Crage Hall. When he got there he kissed her hand and said goodbye. "I hope to see you again soon Miss Avery. In fact, would you like to go on a walk tomorrow night?"

Avery smiled, unsure of what to say. _What do I have to lose…Reed doesn't like me. _"Yes, that sound's great. Oh and just call me Avery."

"Superb, I look forward to it. I'll come by to get you around 8 tomorrow night. Sleep well."

He smiled and waited to leave until after Avery had walked inside. Trism walked back towards Briscoe Hall wondering how he got so lucky to win a date with a girl like Avery.

As Avery walked up the stairs to her room, she debated on whether she should be happy or sad. She arrived at her room and opened the door to find Melody doing her homework while she waited for her to get home.

"Hey." Avery said quietly.

"Finally you're home! How did it go?"

"Well…I'm not really sure. Reed doesn't like me as more than a friend."

"What? Oh no Avery, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, I know. But…his friend Trism likes me. And we're going on a walk tomorrow night."

"Really? Well that's good. Trism is handsome too. But do you like him?"

"I'm not sure." Avery sat on her bed. "I mean I'm sad that Reed doesn't like me. But I think that as I get over that, I could definitely like Trism. What do I have to lose?"

Melody joined Avery on her bed. "Yeah I guess. You just have to be careful and not hurt Trism. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah. But I think it will work out." Avery got her pajamas out and changed. "Well I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight." Melody said, frowning slightly. _I hope Avery knows what she's doing…_


	11. Trism's Secret

Reed laid back in his chair at the table, enjoying his dinner. He was sharing a pleasant meal with his best friend, Avery. They were both done eating, but neither one was willing to leave. So they just sat there and talked.

It was a Saturday in late November, three months since Reed and Avery had first become friends. It had also been three months since Trism and Avery had started dating. When the couple had become official, Reed had put all of his confused feelings for Avery aside.

By then, he had come to the conclusion that he liked her as more than a friend, whether he was willing to admit it or not. But he was too close of friends with Trism to hurt him in that way. He would not break up a happy couple for his own selfish needs. So, even as Reed grew closer with Avery as the months went by, they continued to be only friends.

But as time went by, it became harder and harder for Reed. He knew, deep down, that he was falling in love with Avery; the girl who had so quickly become his best friend. He also knew that it was hopeless.

With a sigh, Reed asked Avery if she was ready to leave.

"Well, I don't feel like going back to my dorm yet. I doubt Melody will be back from her date. How about we go for a walk?"

Reed groaned. "But it's so cold outside!! I don't know about you, but am not in a mood to freeze to death."

Avery laughed. "You think this is cold weather? I have endured _much_ worse. Besides we both have jackets, we'll be all bundled up."

"This _is_ cold weather. I don't know what kind of intense cold weather you get in Gillikin, but I'm used to the sunny, warm weather of the Emerald City."

"Well this is not the Emerald City. So let's go." And with that she grabbed Reed's hand and dragged him out of the restaurant.

--------------------------------------

Reed and Avery walked along a pathway on the outskirts of campus. They were quiet for a little bit, until Reed couldn't stand it anymore. He had to say something about the way he felt.

"I'm freezing out here! It's just so cold!!"

Avery hit his arm playfully. "Oh shut up, I swear…you are SUCH a crybaby."

Reed pretended to be shocked and hurt. "Well excuse me for not being a cold blooded ice queen such as yourself." He quickly jumped out her reach before she could hit him again.

Avery chased him, yelling "Ice queen!?!? Oh you jerk; I'll get you for that."

She quickly caught up to Reed and jumped onto his back, tackling him to the ground. The friends laid in the grass, giggling.

"Sweet Oz, who knew you could tackle like that?? Lurline help the man who tries to take advantage of you! You'll destroy him!" Reed said, laughing.

"You bet I will." Avery said with a wink.

As their laughing subsided, they both became silence. They remained on the ground, just looking up at the stars.

Reed began to think of Trism. His friend was away this weekend; he had been called home for the weekend by his mother. It wasn't exactly a friendly visit either. Reed knew that Trism's mother was furious about his relationship with Avery. Trism was already in an arranged marriage that had been set up when he was eleven years old. This was something that Avery did not know about.

When Trism's mother had found out about Avery, she had forced Trism to come home. She had told him that she and his father needed to have a serious talk with him. Reed and Trism both knew that Trism's mother was going to try and force him to break up with Avery. Reed also knew that Trism didn't want to break up with her, but at the same time, he understood the importance of his future marriage. Trism had been put in a horrible situation and Reed felt really sorry for him.

Avery's soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Winter's coming early this year."

Reed rolled onto his stomach and looked at the brunette girl beside him. "How do you know?"

"Simple…I know everything."

Reed stuck his tongue out at her. "No really, how do you know?"

"Well besides the first reason? It usually doesn't get this cold so early in the year. Also, the trees are completely bare and the wind is stronger than usual."

"Hah! So you admit it's cold!" Reed said triumphantly.

"Yes I do suppose it's a bit nippy." She admitted. "Anyways," she said with a yawn. "Why don't you walk me back to Crage Hall now? I'm tired."

"Why do I have to escort you? After being tackled by you, I don't think you really need to be escorted. You are fully able to take care of yourself."

"Yes, but you shall escort me anyways. Seeing as it is polite and your duty as a gentleman."

"I see no gentleman here…." His protest was cut off by her exasperated expression. "Oh fine."

Reed walked her back to Crage Hall and hugged her goodbye. As he held her in the embrace for the quick second, he felt his whole body tingle. When their hug ended, he didn't want to let her go. He did though, and after saying goodnight, walked back to Briscoe Hall.

-------------------------------------------

As Avery ascended the stairs to her dorm, she thought about Reed and Trism. She had enjoyed the last few months with Trism. It was true she liked him; but she wasn't sure how much longer it would last. There seemed to be less and less chemistry every time they kissed or held hands.

She tried to tell herself that that was the only reason she didn't like him anymore, but she knew that was only a small piece of it. She couldn't lie to herself any longer. She loved Reed. She had felt so happy and relaxed when she had been lying with him in the grass. It had just felt so right. And when he had hugged her goodbye, she had felt so warm inside. She hadn't wanted the hug to end.

She opened the door to their dorm and found Melody already asleep in bed. Avery was surprised to see her; when Melody went on a date she was usually out late. _Must have been a bad date…_she thought to herself. _Whatever, I'll hear all about it tomorrow._ With a final yawn she undressed and got into bed.


	12. Trism's Decision

Trism opened the carriage door and stepped out onto the deserted Shiz campus. He pulled his cloak tighter around him as a breeze swept by. It was before dawn on Sunday morning; he had finished his business at his parents' house and had come back a day early.

With a small shiver he picked up his bag and went up to his room. Reed was asleep so Trism quietly unpacked his things. He changed out of his traveling clothes and climbed into bed. Trism was exhausted but it took him a long time to fall asleep. He kept worrying about what he would have to do tomorrow. It was going to break his heart, but he knew that it had to be done. Finally after a couple hours of tossing and turning, Trism finally fell asleep.

---------------------------------

Reed woke up at dawn and was surprised to see that the bed next to him was occupied. _Trism must have gotten home early. I wonder what agreement he and his parents came to._ Careful not to wake his sleeping friend, Reed changed clothes and left the room.

After the last night, Reed had a lot of emotions swirling around inside him. He decided to take an early morning jog to clear his head. He crept out of the dorm room and took off down one of Shiz's many pathways.

-----------------------------------

Avery woke up around eight o'clock. Melody was still asleep, so she silently walked into their bathroom and took a bath.

When she emerged from the tub, she found Melody sitting upright in her bed and rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning. How was the date?"

"Ugh. It was horrible. Rolf might be one of the most handsome boys in the school, but he also happens to be the most conceited. I literally sat there for two hours, listening to him talk about himself. I finally got so sick of it I made up an excuse and left. How was your dinner with Reed?"

"Good. It was kind of nice to hang out without Trism."

Melody frowned. "Honey, you're supposed to _miss_ your boyfriend while he's away. Not be relieved!!"

"No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that Reed is my best guy friend and we never get to hang out alone. It was just…….different. It was fun."

"Whatever you say Avery…If you ask me it sounds like you'd still rather be with Reed."

"Well no one asked you!" snapped Avery. She and Melody both raised their eyebrows in surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"It's ok. But I still say you need to talk to Trism or sort out your emotions."

"Yeah….well anyways…that's too bad your date didn't go well." Avery said, desperate to change the subject. She knew that Melody was right, she still liked Reed. But she had gotten herself into such a mess by dating Trism; she didn't know how to get out of it._ Whatever, maybe I'll talk to him when he gets home today._

--------------------------

Reed returned from his run to find Trism doing homework in their room.

"Hey, welcome back. How'd it go?"

Trism frowned and took a deep breath. "Well I basically spent all of yesterday arguing with my mother. That went nowhere. But then my father and I went for a walk. He calmly explained everything to me and told me that it was my decision to make. He told me about the importance of this marriage and how it will secure my family's position in the Emerald City and secure ties with Munchkinland or something like that. And so….well I decided I have to break up with Avery." He finished, waiting to see how his roommate would react.

Reed resisted his urge to jump for joy. "Really? Well that sucks. I'm sorry….I'm here for you."

"I know. But you understand right? I really, really like Avery…but I can't shirk my responsibilities to my family just because of that. And if our relationship puts my family's reputation and future at risk then….it can't continue."

"I understand. Don't forget, my mother is kind of highly involved in politics too." He smiled weakly.

Trism managed a small laugh. "Well…I better go talk to Avery."

------------------------------------

Avery answered the door to her room and was surprised to find a very sheepish looking Trism standing there.

"Trism! Hi! I didn't know you were coming back so early?"

"Yeah…I came back earlier than expected." He kissed her cheek. "Um…can I come in?"

"Sure." Avery moved out of the way and closed the door behind Trism.

_Well I better just get it over with…._

The two looked at each other and at the same time blurted out, "I need to talk to you about something."

The two considered each other in surprise. But before one of them could say another word, Melody emerged from the bathroom.

"Avery have you seen my….oh!" she cut her sentence short, having looked up to see a very puzzled looking couple staring at her. "Um wow I'm late for class. I'll see you two later." With that final excuse, she quickly fled from the room.

Avery let her go without pointing out that it was Sunday and therefore they had no classes. She turned her attention back to her boyfriend. "What do you have to tell me?"

Trism gulped. "Uhhh I don't really know how to say this….So I'm just going to say it. We have to break up."

Avery's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Trism mistook her shock for devastation. He grabbed her hands and sat her down on the bed. "Look, it's not that I don't like you….I do! I really do. But…I'm kind of in an arranged marriage. And by dating you I am risking that. And by risking that marriage I'm risking my parents' status and reputation. Which might not seem like a big deal to you or me…but it is to them. And they're my family; I have to live up to my responsibilities."

"No...I mean…it's ok. I understand. I do. And I'm ok with your decision; in fact I think it's admirable. Sometimes it's hard to put your family first. We can still be friends though right?"

Trism smiled, relieved that this was going so well. "Of course! In fact…want to go get some coffee?"

"I'd love to…but I should probably go find Melody before she makes a fool out of herself by asking someone why the classrooms are empty." They both laughed and shared in a hug before Trism left.

_Well that was a lot easier than I expected…._thought Avery. And with a smile she set off to find Melody.


	13. An Unexpected Kiss

**A/N: Sorry, I haven't able to update in like a week. I've been caught up with a bunch of stuff. But here is Chapter 13...keep the reviews coming :**

Avery closed her book, having finished her homework for the next day. She had just finished putting her books away when she heard a knock. She opened the door to find Reed there, looking sympathetic.

"Hey, come in!"

Reed complied to her request with a puzzled expression. "You seem awfully happy for a girl who was dumped about eight hours ago."

Avery bit her lip and sat on the bed. "Well it was kind of mutual…"

"Really?" he said, joining her on the bed.

"Yeah, the spark was just gone for me. So speaking of Trism, where is he?"

"He's in our room, doing his homework. Where's Melody?"

"The library…….I think."

"Cool….so how are you? Tackled any more innocent fellows within the past 24 hours?"

She smiled. "No…in fact I haven't tackled any _innocent fellows _all weekend. I did take out a mischievous troublemaker the other day though."

"Oh I've heard of him. I suspect your speaking of the one with the unbelievably good looks and dashing smile." A roguish grin appeared on his face.

"No. I mean the pitifully conceited one who enjoys cruelly teasing innocent young girls."

"Hey!" he shouted and immediately began tickling her. She fell back onto her bed, giggling uncontrollably. She began to tickle him back and a battle pursued for the next few minutes.

Finally the two fell back onto Avery's bed still chuckling and trying to catch their breath. Reed looked over at Avery. A grin was still plastered on her face and her hair had fallen around her shoulders messily. He bit his lip. He just couldn't wait any longer.

And without any warning Reed leaned over and kissed her. Avery's eyes widened. She was too shocked to kiss him back and after a few seconds he pulled away and sat up, looking just as surprised as she did.

"A-Avery….I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me! I'm s…" His sentence was cut short as Avery pressed her lips against his. It was Reed's turn to be surprised. He placed his hands on her hips just as her arms wrapped around his neck.

Their kiss became more passionate and Reed slid his tongue into her mouth. They laid back on the bed and just as Reed began to kiss her neck, the door swung open.

A very shocked Trism stood in the doorway, his jaw dropped. Without another word he turned around and walked away. Reed separated from Avery in a panic.

"I...I have to go." He ran out of the room after Trism.

Reed ran after Trism, all the while thinking_...What have I done? Sweet Oz…How could I have done that? What was I thinking!_

He caught up with his friend right outside Crage Hall.

"Trism!" he yelled, grabbing Trism's arm.

"Let go of me." Trism said without emotion.

Reed ignored him. "Look Trism…"

Trism wheeled around, his green eyes burning. "LET GO OF ME! WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU?? YOU KNEW I STILL LIKED HER! LURLINE, WE HAVENT EVEN BEEN BROKEN UP FOR 12 HOURS!!" Reed immediately released Trism in surprise; his friend had never yelled at him like that. Trism walked away without another word.

When Reed returned to his room he saw that Trism had not come back yet. Not knowing what to do, he went to bed.

----------------------------------------

Avery sat in silent shock; still staring at her open door. _What have I done? Is it possible that I just ruined my friendships with both Reed and Trism in one night? Sweet Oz. _Tears slowly began to roll down her cheeks; she had no idea what to do.

Melody walked in about an hour later to find Avery crying in bed.

She immediately ran to her side. "Avery!? What's wrong? What's happened?"

"I…kissed…Reed…and Trism….saw." she managed through her sobs. She got control of herself before continuing. "Trism stormed out and Reed followed him. I've probably ruined their friendship!! And I probably ruined my friendship with both of them! Oh, I don't know what to do!"

"Oh Lurline. Shhhh…It will all be ok. Don't worry." She said comfortingly, patting Avery's back. She stayed with her until Avery fell asleep. Once she was sure her friend was asleep, Melody retreated to her own bed.

----------------------------

Reed didn't sleep well that night. When he woke up the next morning he had a headache and bags under his eyes. He looked over to Trism's bed to see him fast asleep. _He must have come in sometime after I went to bed…._ Reed bit his lip. He knew that he needed to talk to Trism before class and that there wasn't too much time to spare.

He shook his friend awake. Trism groaned groggily and looked up to see who had disturbed him. Realizing it was Reed; he scowled and turned over in bed.

"Come on! Get up! We need to talk, you can't avoid it. Besides, class starts soon."

Trism didn't budge. Reed glared at him, annoyed. Suddenly an idea occurred to him and he grinned, deciding to take a new approach. "Fine then, do you want some assistance?" He didn't wait for a reply and instead used his strength to tip Trism's mattress, throwing his stubborn friend onto the floor.

Trism jumped up, looking tempted to punch Reed. Reed threw up his arms innocently. "Calm down, I just didn't want you to be late for class."

Trism didn't adopt Reed's playful manner and instead shot his roommate a scathing look. Reed rolled his eyes and approached Trism. Being stronger than his friend, he pushed Trism onto his bed and pointed a finger at him. "Listen! I'm in love with her! Okay?!? I'm sorry! I would never mean to hurt you. Which is why, until now, I've ignored my feelings. But I really am in love with her!" Reed had never said it aloud before. He dropped his finger and his eyes softened.

Trism looked Reed in the eye. His mouth twitched, he seemed to be thinking. After about a minute of silence he finally spoke. "Ok….I get it. I know you're telling the truth. It's just….hard. I still like her. But I won't stop you. And honestly…I think she likes you too. Even when we were together, she was always talking about you." He looked up at Reed. "It got kind of annoying, really." He grinned slightly.

Reed returned the smile and hugged Trism as he stood up. "Right. Now I just have to find out what Avery thinks about what happened last night…." He gulped.


	14. It's Complicated

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates, I've had writer's block and there's been a lot going on. I tried to make this chapter longer, but where I got to just seemed like a good place to stop. Keep reviewing:)**

After history class Reed pulled Avery aside. "Hey….um, I need to talk to you. Come by my room around 5?"

"Sure."

Reed gave her a smile before running off to his next class.

-----------------------------------------------------

Reed paced the floor of his dorm room. He looked at the clock. It was 5:55. This was it. He was finally going to tell Avery everything. Trism was at the library, the moment was perfect. But he would be lying through his teeth if he said he wasn't scared to death.

Finally there was a knock on his door. He ran to answer it and swung the door open.

"Hey! Come in, come in. Look we need to talk." Said Reed nervously, closing the door behind them as he ushered Avery in.

She cut him off. "I know. Look, I am really sorry about last night. It was so stupid and it obviously didn't mean anything, I know we're just friends. And it's horrible for Trism to get mad over something that didn't mean anything. So I agree; we should just forget it ever happened and hopefully Trism can too."

Reed's heart sunk, he didn't know what to say. "You….just want to forget about it?"

Avery eyed him curiously. "Well……yeah. Don't you? I mean…wasn't that what you were about to say?"

"Um….yeah. Of course. It meant nothing to me. Just a spur of the moment thing. Didn't mean a thing."

"Right. So I guess that's settled. That kiss meant nothing. So yeah…"

They both chuckled nervously and continued to look at one another. Then, before either of them had realized what was happening, they were kissing again. After a few seconds Avery pulled away.

"I lied. That kiss meant everything to me."

Reed beamed. "Me too."

Then they were kissing again. But before too long, Avery broke apart from him again.

Her head was swimming with questions. "What about Trism?"

"I already talked to him. He's fine with it…..or he will be."

Avery smiled and kissed Reed again. His arms wrapped around her. After a little bit they just laid on the bed in each other's arms. Avery couldn't remember the last time she felt so content. She had never felt this safe in Trism's arms. Everything was perfect.

Reed kissed the top of her head and quietly said, "I have a question for you."

Avery looked up at him, "Yes?"

He smiled and took her hands in his, "Avery Cotton, when I first met you, I thought you would make a great friend. Well, when I first met you, I was a bit more foolish than I am now. Now after learning how beautiful, smart, funny, kind, and wonderful you are; I've found out how lucky I would be if you would be more than friends with me. So I am asking you now, will you be my girlfriend?"

Her smiled disappeared and suddenly her parents appeared in her head. What about her secret? "Well…..I don't know…."

Reed's face fell. "But…I thought-I thought you liked me?"

"No, no, I do! I promise I do. It's just complicated. Look….I just don't know what my parents would say. Um…I have to go. Can I tell you my answer tomorrow?"

Reed looked utterly confused and heartbroken. "Yeah. No pressure, no matter what you decide, we'll always be friends. If you say it's complicated I believe you. Goodnight."

"Night." And before he could kiss her goodbye she jumped up and quickly left the room. Reed frowned. What would he do if she said no?

-------------------------------------------

Avery quickly walked through the hallway, bumping into Trism on her way. He stopped her.

"Hey, I just wanted to say I'm sorry I freaked out yesterday. It just was a little surprising. But I know you guys like each other and I support you both. Friends?"

"No, you shouldn't be apologizing Trism. It was our fault. But yeah, of course we're friends." She gave him a hug.

"Cool, so are you two together now?" He asked, his voice a little squeaky. Avery could tell he was still a little upset about it.

"I don't know. It's complicated. Look, I have to go study. I'll see you tomorrow."

She hugged him once more before leaving. Avery walked around the campus before going back to her dorm room. She looked up as the first few stars began to appear in the sky. Thinking back to when she laid in the grass with Reed, she closed her eyes. _Unnamed God, please help me. I don't know what to do. Should I make sure that our secret is safe and just stay friends with Trism? Or should I follow what my heart says and go out with him?_ She wiped away a tear and went back to her dorm before it got too cold.

Melody was in the shower when she got back. Not in a mood to talk, she crawled into her bed, still trying to make a decision. She thought about her parents, and how they would never be able to live happy, normal lives. She thought about Reed and how good it felt to be in his arms. She thought about her mother and her constant worrying and warnings. And finally, she thought about what she thought would be best for herself. And just as she drifted off to sleep, she made her decision.


	15. Safety First

**A/N: Sorry if parts of this chapter seem a little forced, I've had writer's block**

Avery pulled Reed aside after class. "I've made my decision." Reed licked his lips nervously, "And?" he asked.

"I'm going to have to….accept. I'd love to be your girlfriend." She said with a smile.

Reed grinned broadly and kissed Avery right there in front of everyone. The crowded hall let out a scattered bunch of "Ooohs!" and a few people whistled. Avery blushed, not used to the attention. Reed merely put his arm around her and led her out of the hall, still grinning.

They walked out onto the campus. Finally Reed stopped walking and turned to his new girlfriend. Looking into her soft brown eyes, he couldn't help but think how beautiful she was. "I have something else to ask you." He said.

Inwardly, Avery panicked. _He knows! He's going to ask me about my family. What do I do?!?_

Reed saw the panic flicker in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Err….nothing. Continue." She said, her heart pounding.

"Well, I've written my parents about you. And my mother wanted me to ask you…."

The panic in Avery increased; the pit in her stomach grew into a canyon. _This is it. From what he's told his mother, she's figured it out. _

"She wanted me to ask you if you would like to come spend winter break with us, in the palace. We leave in less than two weeks for break, and they'd love to meet you."

Avery was confused. _So his mother __didn't_ _know? Her secret was still safe!! _She beamed as the panic disappeared from her body. "I'd like to come. But….I don't know if my parents would want me to. Would you mind if I saw them first? Then came to stay with you a few days later?"

"Of course. Do you want me to come with you to your parents? Or escort you there or anything?"

"No, no. That's ok." She answered quickly.

"Alright" he said. He then gave her a quick kiss and took her back to her dorm.

------------------------------

Avery and Reed's time together became heavily restricted over the next week. With the start of final exams, the air around the campus was tense. Everyone was cooped up in their rooms, studying. The students would periodically look out of their windows, longing to go enjoy the newly fallen snow, before forcing themselves to return to their books.

Finally exams ended, and the students packed their bags and got ready to leave. Avery, Trism, and Reed were all taking the train to the Emerald City. Avery hugged Melody goodbye at the station.

"Oh, I'll miss you so much! I'm so jealous. I'll be on my parents' farm while you're staying in the palace! Promise to write?" Melody asked, crushing Avery with her hug.

"Of course. Besides, I don't know if my parents will let me go to the palace. We'll see. Now…could you let go? I can't breathe."

Melody released Avery, blushing. "Sorry, it's just that I'm going to miss you!"

Avery laughed. "It's not like I'll be gone forever! It's only three weeks! I'll see you when we get back. I have to go though, my train's about leave." She hugged Melody again before getting on the train and joining Reed and Trism in their compartment.

They spent their train ride to the Emerald City lounging out in their seats and chatting. Finally the train pulled into the station and Avery was forced to remove her head from Reed's shoulder. The three got off the train and claimed their luggage.

"So you're going to wait for another train that will take you to Gillikin?" Reed asked his girlfriend.

"Yeah, I'll write in a couple days to let you know if I can stay at the palace."

"Do you want us to stay with you until your train comes?" Trism asked.

"No, that won't be necessary. Hopefully I'll see you guys soon. Bye!" She said, hugging Trism. Reed smiled at her before giving her a long kiss. When the couple broke apart she quickly hugged him, reluctantly letting go after a few seconds. "I'll see you soon." Reed said quietly. "Bye. I'll miss you." She responded as equally quiet.

Finally Reed and Trism left. As soon as they were out of sight, Avery sighed and picked up her bags. She shivered as she walked away in the opposite direction. She reached the edge of the woods and found a handsome older man with dark hair waiting for her.

The man quickly approached her and engulfed her in a huge hug, picking her up. Avery laughed. "Father! Let me go!" Fiyero did so with a large smile. "Well what do you expect? I haven't seen my darling daughter in months! How are you? Your mother and I are so happy to have you home!"

Avery looked down guiltily. _Well, we'll see how long I'll be home for…_ "I'm good. I'm glad to see you too. Let's go."

Fiyero put his arm around his daughter and led her through the snow covered forest. Within a few hours they reached their cottage. As expected, Elphaba was waiting for them at the window. She quickly opened the door for her family.

Avery was thankful for the warm rush of air that welcomed them when they opened the cottage door. They quickly stripped their coats and boots off. She let her mother hug her before settling down in front of the fire. She glanced outside and noticed that snow had begun to fall. Elphaba fetched her daughter a blanket and handed her a mug of hot tea. She handed an identical mug to Fiyero before taking a seat next to Avery.

"My dear, I have missed you so much! How are you doing in school?" Elphaba asked happily.

Avery smiled, feeling much warmer. "I'm really doing well. It's been fun. I'm learning so much."

Elphaba beamed at the fact that her daughter shared her love of learning. "Good. Have you made any friends? What are their names?"

"Yeah, I've made a few good ones. They're Trism, Melody, and Reed. Melody is my roommate."

"Oh that's great! I'm glad that you have a roommate who you're close to. Now, you haven't told anyone our secret right?"

Fiyero rolled his eyes, "Fae, do you have to nag the girl the minute she walks in? She's not dim, of course she hasn't told!"

Avery frowned. "Yeah! I haven't told anyone, not even Reed!"

Elphaba's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why would you have been more likely to tell Reed? Are you sure he's just a friend?"

Avery swallowed, it was now or never. "No…I'm not. Reed is kind of my boyfriend."

Elphaba relaxed. "Well as long as your relationship doesn't risk our identities then of course I'm happy for you!"

Avery cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Well…that's not all. Reed also happens to be the son of a political figure. Um…Lady…Glinda's son…to be exact."

A wave of shock hit Elphaba like a brick wall. _Glinda has a son? Avery is __**involved with**__ her son? _"Wh-what?" she managed.

Fiyero was caught off guard as well. "Who?" he asked.

"Who what?" Avery asked, now confused as well.

Fiyero blinked. "Who…is the father? Who did Glinda marry?"

Avery tried hard to remember. She knew that Reed had mentioned his father's name a few times. Now what was it? "Uh…Biq? Something like that."

Both her parents looked at her, astounded. "_Boq?!?"_

"Yeah! That's it. Do you guys know him?"

Fiyero, now over his initial shock, smirked. "He only adored Glinda at Shiz. He was always in love with her, but he's a Munchkinlander so she never gave him a second look. I guess she changed her mind…"

Avery's eyebrows rose. "Reed's father is a _munchkin? _But…he's so tall!"

Fiyero shrugged. "Maybe he got it from Glinda's side of the family, I don't know."

Elphaba, still dumb with shock, spoke again. "Does Glinda have any other children?"

Avery smiled. "Yes, a little sister."

"What's her name?"

Avery's smile widened. "Elphaba. But everyone calls her Elphie."

Elphaba made a small sound. Her eyes grew wet with unshed tears and a small smile appeared on her face. Glinda hadn't forgotten her. She had named her daughter after _her. _Fiyero smiled and took Elphaba's hands. Avery smiled as well, happy to see that her mother was as touched as she had been when Reed had told her.

Finally Elphaba regained her composure. True, it was great to hear how Glinda was doing; but she needed to stop this before it became disastrous. "Avery. You need to break up with this boy. It's too dangerous!"

Avery's jaw dropped. "What!?! No!! It's not fair! He won't find out! I promise! And he invited me to stay with him for winter break after visiting home for a few days!"

Elphaba's face became stern. "You may stay friends with him, but it's just too risky to remain as anything more! Try to care about someone other than yourself."

Avery fought back the tears threatening to roll down her face. "Mother, I love him. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does. But honey, it just can't be. You need to break up with him. And as for staying at his house for all of break? Out of the question. We will allow you to return for a few days, but only to avoid being rude. In those days you will break up with him then return home. After 4 days your father will meet you at the forest's edge. Do you understand me?

The tears won; they slowly began to roll down her cheeks. Knowing how stubborn her mother was, she turned to her father. "No. Tell her she's wrong. Please."

Fiyero frowned. It broke his heart to see Avery cry, but the safety of his girls was important. "I'm sorry." He said slowly. "Your mother's right. Safety comes first."

With that, Avery began to sob and quickly ran from the room.


	16. The Palace

Reed sprang out of his bed at an unusually early hour. The servant who attended his rooms in the morning, jumped back in surprise, not knowing that it was possible for Master Reed to move this fast so early in the morning. Usually at this hour he was either sleeping or stumbling to the bathroom with his eyes still half closed. But this morning Reed was wide awake. He politely asked the servant for some privacy as he changed.

The servant obeyed with a bow and quickly shuffled from the room. About 20 minutes later, Reed emerged. He looked sharp, having just showered and shaved. Also, he happened to be wearing a green shirt which made his emerald eyes especially bright. Reed turned to address the palace servant, who was surprised to find that the boy had even combed his hair. With a wide smile Reed bade a good morning to him and gave him permission to re-enter his room. The servant replied with a puzzled smile, confused as to why Reed was so energetic.

Reed, having been oblivious to the servant's obvious confusion, ran down the stairs; hopping over the last two. He walked briskly into the dining room that his parents used in the morning to eat breakfast. Glinda looked up from her papers when she heard someone enter. Unfortunately she was also taking a sip of tea at the same moment, and having been startled to find her son up so early, she sputtered; choking on the steaming liquid. Boq, who was sitting next to her, quickly took the cup from her and placed a hand on her back as she coughed.

Reed seemed not to notice as he sat down by his parents and asked their server for a cup of coffee. Glinda eyed her son.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"What's up? Why are you up so early? You have _never_ woken up this early. You usually don't wake up for another four hours. Not even your sister is awake yet! And you've even showered and dressed!" She exclaimed suspiciously.

Boq chuckled. "Don't you see? He's up so early because today is the day his girlfriend is coming!"

Glinda turned to Reed. "Is that true?"

Reed blushed a little but he couldn't help but smile. It was incredibly true.

Glinda's wary expression softened into one of delight. She loved the idea of her son being in love. She couldn't wait to meet the girl who he was so infatuated with. She listened as Reed described Avery to them for about the hundredth time and agreed as he begged the two of them to not embarrass him.

Reed finished his coffee and stood up. "She said in her letter that she'd be arriving around noon, so that only leaves me four and a half hours to make sure everything's ready for her." He left the room with a bounce in his step, ignoring his parents as they laughed at his excitement.

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Avery arrived at the edge of the woods with her father. Fiyero smiled sadly and held out his arms, hoping for a hug. Avery shook her head miserably. She was still furious with her parents for forbidding her relationship with Reed. Fiyero frowned and let his arms drop.

"Bye. I'm sorry. I love you." He mumbled nervously, not used to having Avery so mad at him. Avery merely nodded before walking away from him. She made her way into the Emerald City and saw that the time dragon clock in the center of town read 11:45. Seeing that she had a little time, she quickly used a café's bathroom. She washed the tears from her face, knowing that she would have to suppress them for the next couple of days.

When she was through she dried her face and quickly made her way to the palace. She found Reed waiting for right outside the gates. As soon as he saw her he sprung up and wrapped his arms around her. He held her and gave her a zealous kiss.

He let her go and looked into her eyes. "I've missed you so much!"

She smiled, but it seemed forced._ She must be tired_. He though sympathetically. "Come in! I want to introduce you to my parents; they're going to be so thrilled to meet you." Reed quickly led her into the palace through the large wooden doors and into the entrance hall. Boq just happened to be walking through, but he stopped when he saw his son enter with a young girl.

Boq's face immediately broke into a smile. "Don't tell me! This must be the Miss Avery my boy is constantly talking about. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It's an honor to meet you Sir!" Avery said, smiling pleasantly. Avery found that her parents had been correct; Boq was a munchkin. And though he was unusually tall for a Munchkinlander, he was still short for a man. He was only a little taller than Avery's shoulders. Nevertheless, he had warm brown eyes and a kind smile. Avery noticed that he had the same messy brown hair as his son.

As Avery looked Boq over, he inspected her as well. Her brown hair fell past her shoulders and around her thin face. She was pretty and young. And yet….she seemed tired. He was surprised to see that her brown eyes, though beautiful, seemed to be sad. Boq wondered what in this young girl's life had put that sad glint in her eye. It was almost as if she was carrying a heavy burden…

Reed cleared his throat and Boq realized he hadn't responded to her greeting. "Oh!" he said, coming back to the present situation. "No need to call me sir! Boq will do just fine."

"Where's mother? I want her to meet Avery." Reed asked eagerly.

"She's in a meeting right now. But why don't you show Avery up to her room. Just don't stay up there alone _too_ long." Boq warned in a fatherly tone.

Reed and Avery both turned red. "Sweet Oz! Do you have to always embarrass me?!"

"What?" Boq asked innocently.

Reed merely glared at his father and let Avery up the grand staircase. He led her up one more, to the third floor, before reaching the corridor her room was in. The couple walked down a long hallway and by the time they reached Avery's room she was breathing heavily, tired from walking so far. The palace was even bigger than she had thought. A servant took Avery's bag from Reed and pushed the door to her room open. Avery gasped in awe.

Her room was at least three times the size of her dorm room. It had a large bed with a canopy above it. The bed had a large chest at the foot of it and a huge dresser near it. A couple yards away from the bed was a coffee table which had a couch and a couple chairs situated around it. The room also included a padded ledge by the window and an adjoining bathroom, which was also grand. The room held a prestige manner fit of the palace.

"Do you like it?" Reed asked nervously. "'Cause if you don't, we could get you a new…."

"I love it!" squealed Avery. "It's amazing! It's-It's…." Unable to find a suitable word she gave Reed a hard kiss instead. When she didn't end the kiss he responded eagerly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him. They became lost in their own world until the servant who had carried Avery's bag in cleared his voice irritably.

Avery immediately ended the kiss. "Uh, sorry." He handed Avery her bag and left. She placed her bag on her bed and turned to Reed. "Um Reed?"

He took her hand. "Yes my sweet?"

"I have to tell you something that I didn't before. And you're not going to like it."

He looked at her. "What?"

She gulped. "Well….my parents aren't going to let me stay for all of break. In fact….they're only letting me stay a few days."

Reed immediately began to sulk. "What? But that's not fair! They had you all to themselves for 18 years! Can't they share a little?"

Avery couldn't help but laugh. "No, apparently not. But let's not let that fact spoil the time we have together."

"Alright." He mumbled, still pouting a little. Suddenly his face lightened a little. "Let's go to the garden! You'll love it, it's beautiful."

She squeezed his hand. "Lead the way." Reed obeyed and led Avery to the garden. On the way she made herself forget that in a day or two she would have to break up with him. Instead she decided to make the best out of the little time they had together.


	17. Suspicions

Reed led Avery downstairs and out the back door to the palace gardens. Avery gasped when she saw it. It was the most beautiful place she had ever been to. Flowers of every kind and color filled the place and a large fountain was the center of it.

Reed turned to her. "Do you like it?"

Avery nodded. "It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen!"

Reed smiled. "Yeah. I come here to think sometimes. I only know one thing more beautiful than these gardens."

Avery looked at him curiously. "What?"

He grinned sheepishly. "You."

Avery's response was interrupted as laughter broke out from behind them. The pair whipped around to find a young blonde girl laughing hysterically. Reed's cheeks burned with embarrassment while his eyes burned with anger.

"Elphie! What are you doing here?!? Stop laughing!"

Reed's younger sister tried to control her laughter. "I can't!" she said, still giggling. "That had to be the cheesiest line I have ever heard!!"

Avery giggled as well. The line _was_ sort of cheesy, but she knew better than to say so.

Reed's face grew even redder. "No one asked you!"

Elphie continued to laugh. "I don't care. It was still funny. I'm Elphie by the way." She said, holding a hand out to Avery.

Avery smiled and shook it. "I'm Avery."

Elphie scoffed. "I know. We _all_ know. I swear, my brother is obsessed with you. He couldn't stop talking about you all week. I was about to strangle him." Reed's glare intensified.

Avery felt a mixture of guilt and happiness at the girl's words. She was happy that Reed liked her so much, but she felt incredibly guilty that she would have to break his heart. Hoping to change the subject, she asked Elphie about herself.

"How old are you?"

"I'm fifteen; my birthday was last month." She said, twisting one of her golden curls around her finger. Avery also noticed that she had the same green eyes as Reed.

"Oh, happy birthday!" she said. Reed cleared his throat, annoyed that he had been excluded from the conversation.

Elphie shot him a look. "Stop trying to get attention."

"Go away Elphie." He said angrily.

Avery couldn't help but giggle. "Do you two always fight like this?"

"Yes." They said, simultaneously.

Avery turned her attention back to Elphie. "I like your name."

Elphie smiled proudly. "Thanks. My full name's Elphaba but everyone has called me Elphie since I can remember. My mother told me I was named for her best and bravest friend who died before I was born."

Avery grinned widely. It made her so happy to know that Glinda had loved and respected her mother so much. Reed however, glared at Elphie. "Ok, that's great. Now since you won't leave; we are. C'mon Avery."

They turned to leave, only to find the way blocked by a certain good witch. An older version of Elphie smiled at the couple. Reed turned to Avery to find her smiling even wider than when she had met his father or sister. A glint in her eye made it seem as though she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Glinda approached them. "Good afternoon. I assume you are Avery?"

Avery gave a flustered bow, and responded eagerly. "Yes your, um, majesty. It's so great to meet you!"

Glinda laughed a bubbly and delicate laugh. "No need for such formalities. Besides, I would hardly call myself a queen! Why don't you two come in and have lunch with me? I want to hear all about you Avery."

Glinda led them inside. Avery was delighted to have finally met the best friend her mother had ever had. Glinda was everything Avery had hoped her to be. She was kind, graceful, beautiful, and was even wearing a pink dress! The blonde witch was just as Elphaba had described her.

--------------------------------

There was something very familiar about the girl. Glinda noticed it immediately. Especially her eyes. Her brown eyes reminded Glinda so much of someone. She thought she knew who but she denied it. What would this seemingly random girl have to do with her old friend? There was no possible explanation for the similarity Glinda sensed. It was simply her imagination running away with her.

Yet, as she dined with the girl and got to know her; the familiarity strengthened. Even Avery's personality reminded Glinda of her. Avery shared her quiet nature yet was not afraid to voice her opinions. The resemblance was uncanny.

After lunch, Reed led Avery off to the city to meet up with Trism. Glinda had her meeting pushed back, leaving her the afternoon to think about Avery and the similarities she shared with the young woman who had been gone for so many years.

----------------------------

Reed and Trism showed Avery around the city that afternoon. She loved it, but she had to admit that it was also a bit overwhelming. The hustle and bustle of the large green city was so very unlike the secluded cabin she grew up in. The trio had fun though; stopping in shops and viewing some sights. When the sun began to set, Avery and Reed said goodbye to Trism and made their way back to the palace. They arrived just in time for dinner.

Avery loved dining with Reed and his family. She loved watching Reed and Elphie bicker, loved listening to Boq reprimand them and talk about his day, and most of all she loved getting to watch Glinda interact with the rest of them. Glinda interested her immensely. She just wished that she could talk to Glinda about her mother. The only thing that made her sad was the knowledge that it would never happen.

After dinner Avery realized how tired she was. She tried to stifle a huge yawn, but Reed noticed it.

"You're exhausted. Here, let me walk you to your room." He said, offering her his hand.

She took it and gave him a sleepy smile. "Thanks."

Reed led Avery up to her room and cupped her face in his hands, giving her a soft kiss. "Goodnight. I hope you like my home."

Avery smiled, so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open. "I love it." With that, she opened her door and closed it behind her. Not bothering to change, she kicked off her shoes and collapsed into her bed; falling asleep immediately.

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The next day Avery awoke to find that Reed was still asleep. She was incredibly hungry so she went downstairs in search of food only to find Glinda alone at the table.

Glinda welcomed her warmly. "Good morning dear! I suppose Reed isn't awake yet. Here come sit down and have some breakfast."

Avery obliged and the servant brought her some toast and coffee. Whereas she had been delighted to be in Glinda's presence before; now that Avery was alone, she found it intimidating. Glinda watched her eat for a few minutes before speaking.

"You're a nice girl Avery. You really remind me of an old friend of mine." She said with a sad smile.

Avery choked on her food. She began coughing while Glinda, surprised by her reaction, offered her a glass of water. Avery took it and gulped down the water. Relief shone in her eyes as her airway clear.

"Are you okay?" Glinda asked; a wrinkle of concern etched on her brow.

"Yeah, sorry. It just went down the wrong pipe. Who did you say I remind you of?"

The smile that now appeared on Glinda's face was forced. She was concerned by Avery's startled reaction. But she would have to figure it out later. "Oh just an old friend from college."

Avery longed to ask who, even though she already knew the answer. She was afraid that if she asked another question about the matter, it would seem suspicious. She decided to risk it anyway. "Oh, well thank you. What was her name?"

Glinda cocked an eyebrow, wondering as to why Avery was so inquisitive. Again, she forced down her curiosity and concern. "Her name was Elphaba. She is the same friend I named Elphie after."

Even though, Avery had been expecting it, she was hit with panic. What if Glinda figured out her identity? She didn't know how to respond. Relief suddenly surged through her body as Reed entered the room, offering a distraction.

"Come on, I've got a surprise set up for you." He said leading Avery out of the room and leaving Glinda alone with her thoughts. Glinda stood and left the table, no longer hungry. For the second time in two days she pushed her meeting back and gave herself some time to ponder the subject.

She walked up to her room and locked the door. Quietly, she removed the loose floorboard and pulled out Elphaba's hat. She clutched it tightly, sitting on the bed. _Oh Elphie, I miss you so much! Sometimes I just don't know what to do. I really wish you were here to help me. And this girl… _"How she reminds me of you so…." She said, now voicing her thoughts. "She even reacted unusually when I told her she reminded me of you. It just doesn't make any sense!!!" she said growing frustrated. "It's all so confusifying. You would know what to do if you were here…" _But your not here...and you never will be again._ She thought, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

Wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks, she returned the old hat to its space underneath the floorboards. More than ever she wished her friend was alive to help her.

**A/N: So what do you all think? Keep the reviews coming!**


	18. Wrong Way

**A/N: Argh, I meant to update a few days ago, but I've had a rough week. among other things a really great teacher from my school died in an accident. She was an incredibly spirited and kind lady. I know none of you knew her, but if you could keep her family in your prayers that'd be great. So yeah...I've been a bit depressed over that, which led to a lack of inspiration. But I finally gained a desire to write by listening to one of my fave bands. (The chapter title is also the title of a popular song by them...you can probably guess it) But anyways...here's the chapter...**

Reed led Avery out to the palace stables. There she found two horses saddled and ready for riding. A gleeful smile appeared on Avery's face.

"We're going riding??" She asked, her eyes widening in excitement. Avery had only a ridden a horse once in her life. She had been nine and it had been a Horse whom Elphaba had come across in the woods. The Horse, having had noticed young Avery's excitement, had kindly offered her a ride. She had loved every second of it.

"Yes. We are going on a ride through the forest outskirts. I was considering a picnic, but it's too cold. The horse on the right is yours." Reed answered, seemingly satisfied that Avery seemed to be so excited.

Avery approached her horse cautiously. She was a beautiful chestnut mare with a gentle disposition. As she approached her, Reed mounted his own horse.

"Ready?" He asked.

Avery blushed; she hadn't ridden a horse in a long time. And even then it had been a Horse. She wasn't quite sure how to direct the horse or even how to mount it. Reed noticed her discomfort and dismounted his black steed, chuckling.

"Don't ride much?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Avery shook her head.

"Need some help?" He offered with a smile. Avery nodded bashfully. Reed patiently showed her how to mount her horse and how to direct it. About 20 minutes they were off.

Avery picked up on riding fairly quickly. Soon, the two were racing through the meadows happily. It was only when they reached the forest edge that they slowed to a walk. Avery sighed, enjoying herself thoroughly. But once again the knowledge that their time was limited hovered over her like a dark storm cloud; tainting her joy. She tried to remember when her father was going to meet her. She almost fell off her mount when she recalled that the date they had agreed on was tomorrow morning. That meant that she only had that day to break up with Reed!

She tried to clear the panic and discomfort from her head. Finally she calmed herself and sorted everything out. It was unavoidable, so she would do it that night. Reed already knew she was leaving within the next couple of days, so that detail wasn't a problem. Hopefully their friendship would remain intact; she didn't know what she would do if it didn't.

Before too much longer it began to snow. Since neither of them were dressed for the weather they decided to head back. As they made their way home, the snowfall became heavier. Soon a flurry of white snowflakes was falling steadily; covering the ground in a light layer of snow which crunched under the horses' hooves.

By the time they made it back to the stables they were wet and cold. They quickly made their way inside and settled down in front of the fireplace. Two servants quickly brought them a blanket and two steaming cups of tea. Reed held Avery as they shared the blanket.

As they cuddled, Reed suddenly turned to Avery and kissed her sweetly. "I love you." He whispered suddenly, breaking the kiss. Avery made a small noise. She didn't know how to respond. She loved Reed, but she couldn't tell him she loved him for the first time then break up with him in the same day. That was it. She couldn't bear to put it off any longer.

"Reed………I love you too; but..." His dazzling smile silenced her; melted her heart…and her nerves. She couldn't ruin the moment. She'd do it later that night as she had originally planned.

The afternoon passed much more quickly then Avery would have liked. Before she knew it; it was dinner time again. She didn't enjoy this particular meal nearly as much as she had the previous night. She was distracted throughout the supper; trying to think up a way to end her relationship with Reed.

Glinda noticed Avery's obvious distraction. It puzzled her. What in this girl's life could possibly be so complicated? She tried to ignore her; but it was hard. The girl intrigued her. At least she was leaving soon; maybe then Glinda's mind could be put to rest. But she had a feeling that that wouldn't be the case.

-------------------------

Avery lay in bed wide awake, cursing herself. Somehow she had managed to go through the entire evening without accomplishing her task. Now she couldn't sleep, knowing what lay ahead for the following morning.

She tossed and turned for a few hours before finally giving up. She was even too miserable to sleep. She was in desperate need of comforting and could only think of one place to find it.

-------------------------

Avery found herself sneaking down the hallway which led to Reed's room. When she finally found his room she was surprised to find a guard by the door. Luckily he seemed to have fallen into a light sleep. As quietly as she could, she carefully opened the door a fraction and slipped into his room.

She hesitated a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, before proceeding forward. Finally she was able to locate Reed's bed and shake him awake gently.

"Humph….What's going on? Who're you?" Reed mumbled, coming awake with a start.

Avery silenced him, placing her finger on his lips. "Shh…It's me, Avery. I can't sleep. I was wondering if I could come lay down with you for awhile."

Reed's confused expression immediately transformed into one of compassion. "Of course." Avery smiled and climbed into his bed. He automatically wrapped his arms around him. Being in Reed's arms once again brought mixed feelings of comfort and anxiety upon her. The confusion of emotions drew tears from her eyes. Reed felt a wet tear hit his arm. He turned Avery around to face him.

"What's wrong?!" He asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Nothing," she lied. "But Reed...I want you to know…that no matter what happens…I love you." More tears streamed down her face.

Reed quickly wiped away her tears. "Hey…don't worry. There's no need to cry…we're going to be together for a long time." He smiled lovingly.

"I wish that were true…" she mumbled under her breath sadly. Reed heard her. His smile disappeared immediately.

"What does that mean?" He asked; his voice full of anxiety.

"Nothing."

"You're lying….don't lie. What did you mean by that?" He pressed; the panic rising in his voice.

More tears streamed down Avery's face. "Reed…I haven't been completely honest with you."

"What? What did you do? Lurline, you aren't cheating on me are you??"

Avery began to full out cry. "What? How could you think I would ever do that? I would never purposely hurt you!"

Tears began to form in Reed's own eyes. "Then what is it? What haven't you told me!?"

Avery swallowed, her throat was incredibly dry. "I have to….break up with you. But I don't want to, I swear it! I don't have a choice." She said quietly.

Reed withdrew from her. "What? I don't believe this. I-I thought you loved me!" The hurt in his voice pierced Avery's heart.

"I do!"

"You don't. If you did then why would you do this?"

"I-I…can't tell you."

Reed quickly wiped away tears and narrowed his eyes. "Of course you can't. I can't believe you. Get out."

Avery whimpered; Reed's reaction was starting to anger her. Why didn't he trust her to tell the truth? "Better yet…why don't I get out of your house and catch a train now?!"

"Sounds good to me." Reed mumbled.

Avery angrily fled from his room, (hitting the guard with the door on the way out) and went back to her own room. Within minutes she packed her bags and left her room; leaving a note of thanks to Glinda and Boq on her way out.

Reed watched from his window as Avery snuck out of the palace and began hurriedly walking down the street. Suddenly, Reed's eyes narrowed as he noticed a crucial detail. Avery was walking in the opposite direction of the train station. He quickly changed and threw on a black cloak which hid his face. Within minutes he was outside of the palace. Within another five minutes he had caught up with Avery; though he stayed a safe distance from her to avoid detection. He was going to trail her; wherever she was going. There was something she was hiding and he was going to find out what.

**A/N #2: School starts tomorrow. :( Idk when I will be able to update but hopefully it'll be soon...**


	19. First Impressions are Important

**A/N: A bit short...but all I had time to do. r&r! The more reviews I get the harder I'll work to find the time to update sooner. I only had time to proof read once...so if there's any mistakes I apologize in advance.**

Reed silently made his way through the snow covered forest. He had been trailing Avery for hours and he still had no idea where she was headed. He pulled his dark cloak tighter around him as snow began to hit his face.

Feeling half frozen, Reed squinted ahead to make sure Avery was still in sight. She was still there, dragging her suitcase behind her. Reed looked past her and was surprised to make out the dark outline of a small building in the distance. He could see that Avery had noticed it too, for she was moving at a quicker pace. Within ten minutes they had reached what appeared to be a small, rural cabin. Reed, keeping hidden, watched as Avery pounded on the door.

Within minutes a man with brown hair opened the door. He seemed to have dressed quickly for he was only wearing trousers and an unfastened jacket which revealed his bare chest. He seemed to talk to Avery for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around her. The puzzlement in Reed's head was multiplied as a green woman appeared beside the man.

Reed's body tensed. He had only heard of one green woman before. That woman had been wicked; in fact she had been the one and only Wicked Witch of the West. Who else could this woman be? Reed had been taught that she had died long ago, but obviously his family and peers had been mistaken. He immediately looked for something to arm himself with; he only found a branch.

Reed himself did not know too much about the Witch. He first had heard of her in class at the young, influential age of eight years old. When he had come home and asked his mother of what he had learned, she had immediately paled. She simply told him that the people who had told him of the Witch had never known her and therefore shouldn't be judging her. Glinda had gone on to tell him that, because he had never met this "witch", that he shouldn't join in his fellow Ozians' judgment of her. She had never said anything more; no matter how often he asked.

But because all Reed knew of the Witch were the stories of her wickedness, he decided to remain wary. After arming himself he proceeded in revealing his presence. If the Witch was as wicked as everyone said then Avery was in danger.

He ran from the trees yelling and brandishing the branch as if it were a dangerous weapon. In any other situation one would have found it a rather amusing display. But in this particular time and place, it was not funny in the least.

Reed placed himself between Avery and the strangers. "Get away from her!" he yelled, trying to sound fierce, though in reality he was terrified. How was he supposed to fend off a wicked witch with the branch of a pine tree?! When no one moved he repeated himself.

"Step away!" Once again, no one moved. The Witch merely stared at him with her mouth hanging open and her eyes blinking in shock. The anonymous man looked as equally astounded; his eyes darting around as if attempting to process what was taking place. Avery simply looked as if she were going to faint.

Reed began to grow frustrated with their lack of response. He waved the branch threateningly at the Witch. This finally provoked a reaction from the couple. The green woman jumped back as the man stepped in front of her.

The tall, handsome man eyed him carefully. "It would be in your favor to think about what you are doing," he growled. "You have no idea what the consequences of what you have done here tonight are going to be. You just made our lives a whole lot more complicated, which I did not even believe to be possible. So I suggest you put that branch down right now and stop threatening my wife."

Reed didn't back down. Avery had to admire his bravery, no matter how foolish it might have been. "I'm not taking orders from you. You are not going to hurt this girl. Now back off!" He waved the branch again, nearly hitting Fiyero in the face.

Avery finally gained enough sense to speak. "Reed! Stop! They're-They're my parents!" she hissed, her voice shaking slightly.

_Sweet Oz…I didn't see that one coming._ Reed thought, blinking. He turned to Avery to confront her about her sudden announcement. Unfortunately for him, he never got the chance to utter his next statement. Fiyero, taking advantage of Reed's moment of distraction, swung his fist at the boy. It connected powerfully with the side of Reed's head. The young man fell over in an unconscious heap.

Avery yelped in surprise. She never knew her father could hit that hard. She looked at him. "Why did you do that?"

Fiyero frowned, thinking the answer to be quite obvious. "Hm. Maybe it was because he was threatening your mother and me?"

Avery frowned as well. "It was a stick! Besides, I had everything under control."

Her father shrugged, annoyed. "Either way, the boy needed _someone_ to knock some sense into him. Besides, now we have some time to figure out what is going on."

Avery's retaliation was cut off as Elphaba emerged from the shadow of the doorway, speaking for the first time. "Hush. Fiyero, get him inside." Her husband nodded and picked up an unconscious Reed from the snowy ground. As he dragged him inside, Elphaba turned to her daughter. Her gaze was stern and fierce. Avery couldn't remember her mother ever looking so angry.

"And you..." she began, her eyes burning a hole in Avery, "you have some explaining to do." With that, she turned quickly and followed Fiyero inside. Avery shuddered. It was only when she received looks such as that that she could believe her mother was once known as a wicked witch. She slowly walked inside, still shaking her head at Reed's foolishness.


	20. The Truth

**A/N: So it has been such a brilliant week, that I decided to update today instead of tomorrow or Saturday. First, I would like to announce that I am seeing Wicked again...its last show in LA! yessssss! And second, I got my license yesterday! yayyyyyyyyy! so make sure to make my week even better by leaving me lots of reviews :)**

Reed's eyes opened as he groaned softly. He had a huge headache and was confused to find himself in a bed in a small room. He tried to recall everything that had happened. _I remember Avery….I followed her to a small cabin…then what? There had been two people there, but who had they been?_ Reed racked his brains and focused. _There had been…a man….yes, that man! That bastard! He's the reason I was knocked out, he punched me or something! _

Reed touched the side of his face. Pain shot through his skull as his hand bumped into the huge bruise on the side of his head. He grimaced, still trying to think. _There was someone else…..The Witch! Avery had led me to her house. She said something about her relation to them before I got hit….but what was it? Argh! Enough of just sitting around, I need to find a way to get Avery and me out of here! _

Reed looked around the room frantically, but all he found was a small table that had a glass of water, an apple, and a note on it. He read the note before touching the food. It read:

_Reed,_

_If you are hungry when you wake up, feel free to eat and drink. _

_As soon as you are done, come join my parents and me in the next room._

_I'm sorry but you have made a huge mistake in following me. Now_

_we will have to figure out what to do. _

_-Avery_

_P.S. Sorry that my father hit you…neither of my parents tend to think _

_before they act…and neither do you for that matter._

Reed frowned. _What is she talking about? I've made a mistake? We have to discuss it with her parents? Who are her parents? Surely not that mysterious couple? Well it must be if she said it was her father who hit me….but how is that possible?! What do we have to figure out? What does she mean 'You don't think before you act'? And why didn't she sign it "Love, Avery"? Just "-Avery" seems a bit cold. Oh well…maybe she's mad. Too many questions! _He was so confused; and all the questions just made his head ache worse.

He quickly drank all the water and took a bite out of the apple. Having to bite into something so hard just made his head hurt more, so he gave up. With a sigh he slowly snuck into the next room, hoping to find answers for his questions.

-------------------

Glinda woke up early that morning. She sensed that something was not right. She got out of bed quietly; careful not to wake a snoring Boq. She dressed quicker than usual though, as always, she made sure she looked almost perfect. As she moved about, the feeling of dread within her grew. It got to the point where she decided to check that all those staying within the palace were still peacefully in their beds.

First she checked on Elphie. Sure enough, the small blonde girl was fast asleep. Glinda smiled to herself, _I'm just being foolish. Of course everyone is fine, I need to quit wasting time being paranoid and go look over the updates of the status in Munchkinland._ She snuck downstairs and had breakfast while reading over her morning updates.

----------------------

Avery and her parents turned their heads at the sound of the door opening. In walked a quiet Reed. Avery winced at the sight of the bruise on his face.

"Well…how are you feeling?" Fiyero asked uncomfortably.

Reed rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Ok…but I have a lot of questions."

Elphaba nodded, "As do we. Such as….what in _Oz_ were you thinking when you followed Avery here?"

Reed swallowed. "Well um…I was mad….that she wouldn't tell me why we had to break up. And I saw her leave…and I saw that she wasn't walking in the direction of the train station. I had to see what was going on. I'm sorry…"

As Reed mentioned her folly, Avery blushed. Her mother's fierce gaze turned upon her. "Avery! How many times? How many times did we tell you?! You need to take every precaution! Now I'm just feeling lucky that it wasn't the captain of the Gale Force who followed you here!"

"I'm sorry…I wasn't paying attention…I was upset." Avery mumbled, looking at her feet. Fiyero gave her a sympathetic squeeze on her shoulder.

Reed cleared his throat. "I'm sorry….but who are you two?"

Avery looked at Reed. "I told you. They're my parents."

Reed licked his lips. This was getting more awkward by the second. "Oh, um, I see." He extended his hand to Fiyero, it shook in the air. "N-nice to meet you…Mr. Cotton..."

Fiyero gave him a forced smile and shook his hand. "Actually Reed, the name is Tiggular. Fiyero Tiggular. But it's nice to meet you too."

Reed drew back his hand, confused. "You told me your last name was Cotton." He said, turning to his new ex-girlfriend.

Avery blushed. "I lied…I had to…to cover up our identity. My name is actually Avery Tiggular."

Reed was even more confused. "Cover up your identity? What does that mean? Who are you?"

Elphaba decided to answer him this time. She held out his hand. "I am Elphaba Thropp, now Tiggular. But…I am better known as the Wicked Witch of the West."

Reed did not take her hand. "You're dead."

Elphaba smirked and held a hand to the pulse in her neck. "Hmm….nope, my pulse is still beating. Sorry to disappoint you."

Reed shook his head. "But…you're supposed to be dead. Everyone says your dead, even my mother!"

If Reed didn't know any better he would have sworn he had seen a hint of remorse in the Witch's eyes. She answered him slowly. "Yes well…sacrifices had to be made. Or else I never would have been able to live in peace."

"Peace? All you want is peace? But everyone says…"

Avery cut in, frustrated with Reed's lack of understanding. "Yes Reed! We obviously know what everyone says. Otherwise we wouldn't be in hiding. Everyone thinks my mother is wicked. She's not. I guarantee it. The Wizard turned everyone against her because of her problems with him. My parents went into hiding to avoid being killed and had me. I've been living under a fake name in order to avoid detection. But my mother is NOT wicked. And your mother knows it too."

"M-m-my mother? What does sh-she have to do with th-this?" Reed stuttered.

Elphaba answered. Reed could now see definite hints of remorse in her eyes. "Galinda Upland….was my _best _friend."

Reed shook his head again. "That can't be true. You don't even know her first name. It's _Glinda_…no "gah"!"

Elphaba sighed, and turned to Avery. "What did I tell you about the brainless boys!?"

Fiyero, who understood Reed's confusion more than his wife or daughter, explained Glinda's name change to him. Reed was still puzzled. "If she was supposedly my mother's best friend, then who are _you?_"

Fiyero smiled slightly. "I am your mother's ex-fiancé and the former captain of the guard. When I was in college I was known as the most scandalacious prince in Oz. Your mother and I made a perfect couple at the time. And though Glinda is still a dear friend to me, it was really Elphaba who opened my eyes. I love her and Avery more than anyone."

Reed sat down and sighed. "Um…can we go through this one more time?"

The family groaned.

-----------------------

Glinda looked at the clock. It was just a few clock ticks past 9. She frowned; Avery was usually awake by now. Suddenly that dreading feeling appeared in her stomach again. Maybe she should have checked on them when she checked on Elphie.

She quickly ascended the stairs to the floor their rooms were on. She went to Avery's room first, which was closest. She silently pushed the door open only to find the room…….empty!

Panic flooded Glinda, but just as she was about to run to her son's room, she noticed a note on the table. She quickly read it.

_Dear Lady Glinda and Master Boq,_

_I'm sorry for the lack of notice but I have had to suddenly leave._

_Thank you so much for your hospitality, my stay has been wonderful._

_Sincerely,_

_Avery _

That was strange….very, very strange. Why in Oz would she have to leave so suddenly? Maybe Reed had an explanation.

Glinda quickly walked to Reed's room. The guard was still in front of his door, meaning that he was still asleep. Her sigh of relief was caught in her throat as she opened the door to reveal another empty room.

His wardrobe was open and his bed was undone. It looked like he had left in a rush. Glinda proceeded in searching the palace for him. When she still failed to find him she called the captain of the guards to her immediately.

Captain Barthroot approached her at a jog. "Yes milady?"

"Captain!" Glinda exclaimed quickly. "Reed is missing! I need all your soldiers who are not on duty out searching for him."

He saluted her. "Yes ma'am. Don't worry Lady Glinda. We'll find him." And with that, he marched off, shouting orders to soldiers around him.

Glinda watched the officer walk off and quickly wiped tears from her face. She prayed to the unnamed god that Reed was safe and would be found quickly. And if they, no, _when _they found him; he had better be in some sort of peril. If he wasn't then she would kill him herself.


	21. Missing

**A/N: Sorry to take so long...school, looking at colleges, student council, and soccer are consuming my life at the moment. Hopefully I'll get the next update out sooner**

Reed sat back in thought as the small family watched him. Finally he understood everything; and though it had been confusing, he clearly understood one thing that had to be done.

"You have to tell her." He stated plainly, directing his statement at Elphaba.

"Pardon?" she asked, confused.

"You have to tell my mother….Glinda….that you're alive."

Elphaba's eyes widened; she didn't know how to respond. Yes, she wanted to see her friend again but….it would put their secret even more at risk than it already was. Besides, it had been so long…they were different people now. Even if nothing had changed it would just be too hard to say goodbye again; Glinda would insist on seeing her more. So, despite her desire to agree, she had to decline.

After a moment of hesitation, Elphaba responded. "No. I can't. It's too dangerous; you knowing is bad enough. No one else can find out."

Reed became frustrated and slightly angry. "It's not fair, you're being selfish."

Avery gasped. "Reed!"

He shook his head. "It's true. My mother has had to live for years thinking she had let her best friend die. She let my mother go through that!"

Elphaba remained silent.

Reed continued. "Let me tell you something. One day when I was 12, I went looking for my mother within the palace. My father had taken Elphie into the city for the day and I was bored. I searched everywhere and couldn't find her. Finally, I did find her….she was in her room. She had the door closed, but had apparently forgotten to lock it. Before I opened the door I heard sounds from inside. It was the sound of my mother crying. Immediately I grew concerned and burst into the room. Then I saw something I will never forget. My mother was alone in her rooms, kneeling on the floor, sobbing. She was clutching the strangest looking hat I'd ever seen. It was black, pointy, and looked old. Well, as soon as my mother saw me she quickly stuffed the hat under the bed, dried her tears, and walked over to me."

Reed paused to catch his breath before continuing. "Well as soon as she approached me I asked her what was wrong. She looked at me very carefully before saying, 'Don't worry about me honey. Throughout our lives we make memories; some good, some bad. There are certain memories that we never forget, no matter how old we grow. All I was doing was dwelling on one of those memories.' I had still been young, and didn't quite understand what she was saying. I asked her why her memory made her cry and she told me that it was because it was a sad memory. I asked her how sad and she said it was the saddest memory she had. Before I could ask any more questions, she shooed me along. I never told anyone what I saw."

Tears welled in Elphaba's eyes. Reed ignored them and continued. "I could never figure out what that old hat had to do with my mother's memory. Now I know. She was thinking of you, of when you died. You think she is better off the way she is, but you couldn't be more mistaken. My mother misses you every day. Your death looms over her otherwise fabulous life. She has never gotten over what happened. She named her own daughter after you! And how do you repay her? You coop yourself up in this little cottage and hide from everyone, including her! It's time for you to stop acting like a coward and tell her!"

While Elphaba pushed back her tears, Fiyero stepped forward. "Boy…you don't understand everything you are talking about. You only know the impact this has had on your mother…you don't understand the rest. And you are terribly wrong to call my wife a coward. Let me assure you, she is anything but. And if you ever call her that again I will not hesitate to knock you out once more."

Avery had never heard her father utter such strong words. She didn't like seeing her parents act like this; they both seemed so vulnerable. She felt as though she were witnessing something dirty.

Elphaba forced Fiyero to step back. "I have to think about this. But before I do so I need you to know something. I miss Glinda every day. You think she is the only one that cries? You're wrong. It has been hard for me as well, the only thing that comforts me is the knowledge that Glinda is safe and living a happy life. You think I don't remember her? Well once again, you are wrong. I bet Avery has never told you her middle name has she?"

Reed shook his head dumbly. Elphaba nodded curtly and responded. "Well it is _Glinda._ She is Avery _Glinda _Tiggular."

"Understand now?" she asked bitterly.

Reed rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, sort of."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some hard thinking to do." Without another word she stormed into her bedroom, shutting the door.

----------------------------

Cadet Barsh ran through the palace corridors, searching for Lady Glinda. He finally found her in the study, pacing.

"Yes?!" she asked, desperate for news of her son's whereabouts.

Cadet Barsh placed his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Message from…..Captain Barthroot….Madame."

"Well spit it out!" Glinda cried impatiently.

"A man who….owns an…inn on the edge….of the city…saw two figures head….into the woods at a very….late hour of the night." He continued hastily, finally beginning to catch his breath. "He said that one was a young lady and the other, though cloaked, was clearly a young man. We believe them to be Master Reed and Miss Avery."

Glinda nodded, not sure what her son was up to. "I assume Captain Barthroot has the Gale Force searching the forest?"

The messenger nodded, mumbling as his sandy hair fell into his sweaty face.

Glinda nodded as well. "Very well. Thank you. Tell the captain I place my full trust in him."

The boy bowed and quickly exited the room.

Glinda sat down in the large armchair next to her and rested her chin on her hand. With a sigh she shook her head. Her son was dead. _Dead!_ How could he sneak off like that? In fact, Glinda decided she wanted to handle this herself. She quickly conjured a bubble and began traveling towards the woods. Reed had better hope the Gale Force found him before she did.

--------------------------

Elphaba emerged from her room to find only Reed and Fiyero in the room. She looked around for her daughter.

"She's asleep." Fiyero said, answering her unspoken question.

Elphaba nodded and sat at the kitchen table. Reed and Fiyero took seats on either side of her.

"So?" Reed asked nervously.

Elphaba sighed. "Maybe. Maybe we can tell her."

Reed rolled his hands into fists. "Maybe?! Come on! What's the worst that will happen? You _know_ she won't tell a soul!"

"You don't understand, you are too young." Elphaba growled.

Reed snorted impatiently. "Right. Anyway, you better figure out something soon. I'm sure my mother has the whole Gale Force out searching for me right now."

Elphaba's face fell. She hadn't considered the palace's reaction to a missing prince. Of course Glinda would be sick with worry and have everyone out looking for him. She groaned and put her head in her hands. "This can't get any worse!"

Fiyero got up and rubbed her back soothingly. "Don't worry Fae. We'll figure this out. Just try to relax, I'm going to go ask Avery if she's hungry." He kissed the top of Elphaba's head and walked to Avery's room.

An awkward silence settled between Reed and Elphaba; but not for long. Fiyero swiftly reentered the room. "Fae it seems that when you said it can't get worse….you spoke too soon."

Elphaba's eyes widened. "Meaning?"

"Meaning Avery's not in her room….she's gone!"


	22. Surprise

Elphaba's throat tightened. A wave of dread passed through her. "What?"

Fiyero had already thrown on his coat and was currently pulling his boots on. "I said she's gone. I have to go find her, you two stay here."

Elphaba stood up. "No! You can't. The Gale Force might be searching the countryside bordering the city! If they find Avery then she won't be in any danger; she is one of the missing ones after all. But if they find you then…." She couldn't bear to finish her sentence.

Fiyero strode over to his wife and hugged her. He then held her out at arms length and looked her in the eyes. "I have to find her. It's starting to snow again; if it turns into a storm she could get lost. Besides, we aren't close enough to the city to have to worry about the Gale Force just yet. I promise nothing bad will happen."

Elphaba looked down. She wanted to go with him but the snow, though not pure water, posed a problem for her. "Alright." She mumbled.

Fiyero kissed her and looked at Reed. "Take care of her, I'll be back soon." Reed nodded and Fiyero promptly exited the cabin.

--------------------------------

Avery breathed into her hands to warm them as she trudged through the snow. She hadn't anticipated for it to start snowing again. Wishing she had thought to bring mittens, Avery wondered if she should start heading back.

She just had had to get out of her small house. The environment was too stressful and it had become overwhelming. She had snuck out knowing her mother wouldn't want her out and about by herself at the moment. She looked around and began to grow nervous as the flurry of snow dropping around her became thicker. A snow storm was on its way.

It was definitely time to get home. Avery looked around and became slightly panicked to find that it was hard to see what was around her. She spun around, trying to figure out which direction she had come from. Avery peered downwards, trying to find her footprints, but was distressed to find that a new thin layer of snow had hid them from her.

Avery knew that if she got lost in a blizzard she would freeze; she had to find her way back. With a deep sigh she proceeded in walking in the direction she _thought_ her house was in.

---------------------------

The Gale Force's search of the forest was proving to be fruitless. They hadn't found anything yet and it was beginning to snow pretty hard.

Their commanding officer had ordered about half of the troops back into the city because of the horrible weather. He forced his more competent troops to keep searching. So the troops unwillingly delved even deeper into the woods. As they search they grumbled about the weather, their hunger, and about how they wished they could go home. Nevertheless, they continued to move closer and closer to the Tiggular cabin.

--------------------------------

Glinda squinted through the flurries of snowfall all around her. She was traveling by bubble; and though the snow helped to hide her, it also interfered with her vision. Nonetheless, she was fairly sure she was headed in the right direction.

She continued on, glad that she had brought her bright pink, fur lined jacket to protect her from the cold. She looked down and saw one of the search groups traveling under her in the same direction. Glinda directed her bubble higher upwards to avoid detection. If the Gale Force knew she was out here they would refuse to let her out of their sight.

Glinda traveled on for about an hour until she grew tired. She had seen no one so far except members of the Gale Force. Making sure the coast was clear; she landed her bubble among a group of trees. The snow was finally beginning to let up; it was a good time to rest. As soon as Glinda landed she realized she was famished. She looked around for food, not taking into account that it was winter and the trees were bare.

As Glinda explored her new surroundings, she allowed herself to fill with pride. She was out in the wilderness on her own and doing a mighty fine job surviving, thank you very much. She ignored the fact that it had only been a couple hours.

Suddenly she heard voices in the distance. Her body stiffened. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she knew it was the Gale Force. She didn't have time to make a clear get away by bubble, so she grabbed her wand and ran off into the woods.

---------------------------

Reed sprawled himself out on the couch and watched as Elphaba continued to pace back and forth. She had been doing so for over an hour, and refused to stop; no matter how much he begged her. She seemed to be deep in thought. _Though when is she __not__ deep in thought?…_he thought, rolling his eyes. With a sigh he shifted his position.

The sigh brought Elphaba back to reality. For the millionth time she asked "Where _are _they?! This shouldn't be taking this long! Oh Oz, I bet they were captured!"

Reed knew she wasn't talking to him but he decided to answer anyway. "Stop!!! It's snowing hard; I bet he's just having trouble finding her. They're fine. Go take a nap or something."

As soon as Reed saw the glare she shot him, he knew he had said something wrong. "Do NOT tell me what to do within my own house! I am your elder, hasn't Glinda taught you any respect?!"

Reed threw his head back in exasperation. "Yes! But I have also learned that worrying gets you nowhere and sometimes you have to step up and take responsibility."

Elphaba shot him another look, silencing him. Besides that she ignored him and repeated, "Where are they?"

---------------------------

Avery sat down in the snow as tears began to form in her eyes. She was lost. And not only was she lost, but she was cold, wet, hungry, and tired. All she wanted was to go home. Ironically she thought to herself, _Oz, that girl who supposedly "killed" Mother wasn't kidding when she said 'There's no place like home'…_

She stopped pouting long enough to notice a blurry figure in the distance. She immediately stood up. "Hello?!" she called uncertainly.

A howl of wind drowned out the stranger's reply. "Who's there?!" she called again.

This time the person, or Animal, did not reply. Instead they proceeded to come closer to her. Avery was growing nervous. "I'm warning you….stay away!"

Avery gave a satisfied "Humph!" as the figure stopped advancing on her. Her 'humph' turned into a scream as the figure suddenly started running towards her. She covered her eyes and the next thing she knew, the figure was grabbing her….

…in a hug. She opened her eyes to see her father hugging her tightly. She hugged him back. "You scared me!!!"

Fiyero looked at her sternly. "_I _scared _you??_ Do you have any idea what you have put all of us through….you could have been captured! By now, the Gale Force will be looking everywhere for you and Reed."

Avery looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry. I just needed to get out of the house…then I got lost when it started snowing."

Fiyero hugged her again. "It's ok. Let's just go."

------------------------------

Glinda stumbled through the snow, desperately wishing for boots of some sort. She came to a dead stop when she noticed two figures in the distance. She squinted through the snow and came to realize that one was a man and one a woman. She squinted harder…they were hugging.

Glinda broke out in a sprint towards them, boots or no boots. That was them! It had to be Avery and Reed! Who else would be out in this otherwise deserted clearing in this weather? Her sureness of her conclusion gave her more energy, and she ran faster.

As she drew close, however, the couple noticed her. To Glinda's surprise and anger they started running from her. Glinda's blood boiled. Reed was _more_ than dead.

Glinda ran as fast as she could and eventually grew close to the couple. She was losing stamina though; if she didn't catch them then, they would get away. Thinking fast, she threw her wand as Reed's feet. To her glee, he tripped.

He immediately started to get back up. In a final act of desperation, Glinda pounced. She leapt for her son, grabbing him around the waist. They both fell into the snow.

Glinda shook the soft powder off her face and looked up. Reed was on the ground, face down in the snow. She saw that Avery had stopped running and was looking at her with an expression of horror on her face.

Glinda sat up and grabbed Reed by his shirt. "Torrance…Reed...Upland. _WHAT IN OZ'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!?"_ she yelled, in a very unGlindalike shriek.

Her son didn't respond and Avery merely stared in dumb shock. Glinda flipped Reed over aggressively only to find that…..the man she had basically just assaulted was most definitely NOT her son.

She sat back in the snow, speechless. _It cannot be. It simply can't be. What kind of cruel joke is this? Am I dreaming? Surely he is not in front of me? He's dead. This is not…._ "Fiyero?" she squeaked quietly.

Fiyero's eyes were wide in shock. He seemed to be at a loss for words as he stuttered. "Um….Uhhh…Urr….Surprise?"

Glinda didn't respond. Instead she fainted, falling back into the snow.

**A/N: Reviewwwwwww**


	23. Together Again

**A/n: Most of my reviews demanded that i update asap, and since ive been a bit sick and have had time, I obliged. Thanks for the reviewsss...keep them coming! btw, there is probably only one or two more chapters left.**

Elphaba sprang up as the front door opened. To her relief, in walked Fiyero and Avery….carrying an unconscious Glinda.

Elphaba's eyes widened. "_What are you two doing?!?" _she cried, not believing the sight in front of her.

Reed too had paled. He tentatively asked, "What's wrong with her? What happened?"

Avery and Fiyero set Glinda down on the couch. Fiyero sighed, having expected this reaction. "She found us. She was out in the woods and she saw us. Thinking I was Reed, she chased us and tackled me, and fainted when she realized who she had just pounced on." Reed shuddered, grateful that he had stayed in the cabin and hadn't had to endure his mother's abuse.

Avery rubbed her hands nervously. "We couldn't just leave her out there in the snow. She would have frozen."

Elphaba glared at Fiyero. "How could you let this happen?!"

Fiyero's mouth dropped open. "Me?? How is this _my_ fault?"

Elphaba let her head droop. "You're right…I'm sorry. It's just….I don't know what to do."

Fiyero hugged her. "Well it seems we don't have a choice…we'll have to tell her."

Reed smiled in triumph at their decision. He couldn't wait for his mother to wake up…and he didn't have to. At that exact moment, a groan emerged from the couch, silencing the room's four other inhabitants.

Elphaba panicked. She wasn't ready. She quickly sprinted into her bedroom and closed the door before Glinda had a chance to open her eyes.

Reed began to call her back in, but Fiyero silenced him. Glinda looked around the room and slowly began to register the faces staring at her. "Reed…?"

He stepped forward happily, expecting a warm embrace. "Yes?"

"I am going to kill you." She said seriously.

Reed stepped back. _Not exactly what I was expecting from the mother whose son has been missing for over a day._

Glinda sat up, strengthened by her anger. "What were you doing!? Do you know how worried I was??"

"Mother I…."

"It was my fault Lady Glinda." Avery said.

Glinda turned to Avery. "Unless you kidnapped my son, he left of his own accord. And I thought we were past formal titles."

Avery blushed. "Sorry."

Fiyero stifled a small laugh, drawing Glinda's attention to him for the first time. Apparently, she didn't remember her last few seconds of consciousness; for she looked just as shocked to see him as she had before.

Glinda paled and fell back onto the couch, looking faint once again. Reed ran to her side; but apparently her anger was still intact, for she pushed him away. He took a seat, looking dejected.

"Fiyero?" she asked meekly.

"Last time I checked." He said with a small smile.

She walked over to him slowly. "But I thought…"

"I was dead? Not quite. Elphaba saved me with a spell."

"What?! How?"

"Well um…it was a bit of a…transformation. Remember the scarecrow that helped Dorothy?"

"Vaguely, yes. He disappeared right after the wizard's departure." She answered, unsure how this was relevant.

"Well…that was me. But the spell wore off…and so now I'm…me..again."

Glinda was silent for a moment. Then she swiftly picked up her wand from the floor and whacked Fiyero in the head.

His hands shot up in defense. "Hey! Watch it with that thing!"

Glinda stopped but continued to glare daggers at him. "How could you not tell me?! Did you know how guilty I felt about your supposed death?!"

"Sorry Glinda…but I was a fugitive; an accomplice to the Wicked Witch."

Glinda snorted. Then something dawned on her. "But…then…how do you know Avery?!"

Fiyero coughed uncomfortably. "Well you see Glinda….she is my daughter."

Glinda's eyes widened. "You cheated on Elphaba?!"

"Wha-? No!!" He insisted, holding his hands out defensively.

"Well I doubt Elphie delivered a child from the grave! Unless….unless…you cheated on me?!" She asked accusingly, stepping forward.

Fiyero took a step back, now knowing Glinda's wand's frequent role in her anger. "Look, I never cheated!"

Glinda simply glared and slapped him. "Liar."

Avery felt bad that her father was taking so much abuse from this woman who had previously seemed so kind and gentle. She was about to speak up in her father's defense, but quickly realized she wouldn't need to.

"He's not lying. I'm Avery's mother." A voice spoke from the other side of the room. Everyone's heads turned to find Elphaba step out from the corner. How long she had been there, no one knew.

Reed saw the look on his mother's face and suddenly felt like he was sitting in on a private moment. Grabbing Avery by the hand he pulled her into the nearest bedroom and shut the door.

Fiyero caught the same vibe and thought of a reason to excuse himself. Motioning to the bedroom door he said, "I better make sure they're not…you know.." He quickly joined them in the bedroom, leaving Elphaba and Glinda alone.

Glinda once again sat down. This was getting ridiculous, who _else _could be secretly alive?! "Elphie?" she asked quietly.

Elphaba nodded and sat down next to Glinda on the couch. Glinda touched her face softly. "Is it really you?"

Elphaba nodded. Glinda looked at her for a second before shaking her head and standing up. "It can't be. Elphaba's dead. This is all just some dream…or you're some sort of imposter."

Elphaba smiled wryly. "Could a dream do this?" She pinched Glinda, who in response yelped. "And would an imposter know this? That back at Shiz you cheated on Fiyero one night. You got drunk and ended up making out with Yuan Grey."

Glinda squeaked nervously. "Quiet! Fiyero might hear you! And that wasn't my fault! It was my first time drinking!"

Elphaba laughed freely. It was the most enjoyable laugh she had had in years…due to the fact that it was Glinda who had caused it. And in that moment, Glinda realized that it was Elphaba before her. Not some imposter or illusion, it was her Elphie.

Glinda ran to Elphaba, tears running down her cheeks. She grabbed Elphaba in a hug and Elphaba hugged her back. As the two women held each other they both cried. Glinda finally pulled away as Elphaba wiped her tears away before they could burn. Glinda looked at Elphaba as her friend smiled warmly at her. Glinda then slapped that smile right off her best friend's face.

Elphaba merely looked at Glinda, shocked. Glinda looked at her coldly and merely said. "_That _is for putting me through years of misery in which I missed you dearly. How could you not tell me?!"

Elphaba sighed. "You weren't miserable! Try not to be so dramatic."

"Well I was miserable sometimes! And even when I was happy, I always wished you were there!"

A guilty expression fixed itself on Elphaba's face. "I'm sorry! But Fiyero and I couldn't tell anyone! It would have endangered us both."

Glinda grumbled, knowing Elphaba was right but not willing to admit it. Elphaba risked stepping back within Glinda's reach. "But…I missed you too. I missed you every day Glinda."

Glinda looked up. "Really? Well….I named my daughter after you!"

Elphaba laughed again; amazed that Glinda could turn almost anything into a competition. "I know. And my daughter's middle name is Glinda. And though you never knew it, you're her godmother."

Glinda smiled and hugged Elphaba once again. "Well I couldn't even make you Elphie or Reed's godmother! And all because you made me believe you were dead and told me not to clear your name! So we had to make Boq's stupid sisters the godmothers. Thanks a lot Elphie! I despise them."

Elphaba snickered. "Yes I'd heard you had married your dear Biq."

Glinda blushed. "Well yes…he is really quite a gentleman. Oh Elphie, he'll be so glad to hear you're ok! You know he really is completely over that tin man thing. In fact he's human again!"

Elphaba stood up. "What do you mean 'he'll be glad to hear'? Glinda, you cannot tell a soul!"

Glinda frowned. "But..."

"No buts! Promise?"

Glinda didn't respond, instead she merely pouted.

"That won't work on me. Incase you don't remember, I am impervious to your pouting. Now promise or I will run away right now and you'll never see me again!"

Glinda gave in. "Fine! I promise!"

Elphaba smiled. "Good."

The two old friends, who were so happy to be reunited at last, spent the next hour gossiping and catching up on each other's lives. They were both deeply touched and pleased to find that the other had missed her as much as she had. And both were relieved to find them just as close as friends as they had been before.

-------------------------

Reed sat awkwardly on Avery's bed, twiddling his thumbs. "Nice room." He said, desperate to break the silence.

Avery smiled grimly. "Thanks."

Reed finally decided to voice a question he had been wondering about ever since he had discovered Avery's secret. "Um….are we together?"

Avery looked puzzled. "What?"

Reed rubbed the back of his neck; which was beginning to develop into a nervous habit. "Look. I know we broke up before. But now that I know all this….we're together right?"

Fiyero cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable.

Avery blushed. "Do you really think this is the time? My father is right there!"

"Fine..." Reed mumbled.

There were a few minutes of more awkward silence before Avery spoke. "Yes we are."

Reed smiled. "Good."

Fiyero once again cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry." Reed said quickly.

The three fell into silence and spent the next half an hour trying to find ways to entertain themselves.

Finally, Fiyero couldn't stand it anymore. "That's it! They have had looong enough!" He then threw open the door to find Elphaba and Glinda sitting together, laughing.

He was puzzled, having expected them to still be working things out. "What are you two doing?"

Glinda giggled. "Catching up on things, Fiyero. What does it look like? Surely you've gained _some_ sense with age!"

He grumbled indignantly. "So you two have been sitting here gossiping, while I have been trapped in a bedroom with two hormone raging teenagers!? Why didn't you come get us?!"

Elphaba blinked, unaffected by his outburst. "Were we supposed to?"

Fiyero yelled in frustration and walked off to his room in a huff.

Elphaba and Glinda couldn't help but break out in laughter.

"Men." Elphaba stated plainly.

"I couldn't agree more my dear." Glinda laughed.


	24. Confrontations

**A/N: Ahhhh I haven't updated in so long! I'm sorryyy. Things have been beyond hectic, I just haven't had any time. And I had major writers block. But yeah here it is, even if it is a tad short. **

Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Reed, and Avery sat around the table; all enjoying a hearty meal prepared by Fiyero. The five chatted and gossiped, enjoying the evening. For Glinda and Elphaba, it was the best meal they had had in a long time.

A temporary silence settled among them as they continued to eat. Reed took it as an opportunity to ask his mother a question he had been thinking about ever since he had met Avery's parents.

"Um Mother?"

Glinda swallowed the food in her mouth. "Yes?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me about Elphaba…or Fiyero?"

Everyone set down their forks, taken aback by the sudden question. Though, they too were slightly curious. They all looked to Glinda.

Glinda cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Well you see….I really, really wanted to. But I just was….afraid."

Reed tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

Glinda looked down. "Well one, I was afraid you wouldn't believe me or you would think I was wrong about Elphaba. Also, I was afraid of reliving my past. Those memories were just so painful…I didn't know if I was ready for you to know. But also….I was afraid you would think of me differently."

Reed frowned. "How so?"

Glinda looked down shyly. "Well I was afraid that if you knew I had just stood there while my best friend was killed, you would think I was a coward. I was afraid you wouldn't trust me or feel protected by me anymore."

Elphaba reached out and gave Glinda's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. "You didn't just stand there Glinda. You did exactly what I had wished you to. You even took the Grimmerie and studied it like I asked. Stop blaming yourself and thinking that you had betrayed me in some way. By hiding yourself and keeping your promise, you couldn't have been more loyal."

Reed gave his mom a smile. "She's right. Mother, I love you and after hearing about everything in your past I think you're stronger then I ever did before. Keeping your promise to Elphaba makes me respect you even more."

Glinda smiled, feeling touched. "I love you too Reed. And thanks Elphie…but either way I'm just so happy you're alive."

Elphaba returned the smile. "Me too," she said with a laugh.

Glinda smiled, happy to see her friend laugh again. "Oh Elphie, I wish you could meet my daughter."

Elphaba smiled warmly. "I'm sure I'd love her."

Glinda nodded eagerly. "Oh you would! She is so like you, I have no idea where she gets it. She's stubborn and strong, and sarcastic and funny….just like you! And she would be just thrilled to meet you…she always brags about how she was named for her mother's best friend."

Elphaba smiled at the irony of how someone would be proud to be named after her; whereas back at Shiz, people wouldn't even bother to learn her name. The terms 'Green Girl' and 'Artichoke' seemed to satisfy them. "She sounds delightful Glinda…it's a shame she can't know about me."

Glinda's hopes that Elphaba would give in to meeting her daughter were quickly crushed. "Oh…yes…it is definitely a shame."

There was an awkward silence before Glinda decided to ask a question she'd been pondering. "So Elphie…how are we going to work this out?"

Elphaba choked on the food she had just put in her mouth. She swallowed it forcibly. "What?"

Glinda played with the food on her plate absentmindedly. "Well…I obviously have to leave probably first thing tomorrow. The whole city must be going mad; what with Reed, Avery, and now me missing. And poor Boq and Elphie must be sick with worry. I can't just stay missing. But before I leave I need you to guarantee that I will see you again."

Elphaba twisted her mouth in thought. "I've been trying to think of a way to figure this out. I knew that once we saw each other, we wouldn't be able to do the separation thing again.

Glinda nodded. "Correct."

Elphaba continued. "Well the only thing I came up with was that Avery can deliver letters back and forth between us…"

Glinda cut in. "That's not enough."

Elphaba looked and her. "I know. So I decided that we can arrange meetings every few months. You will just have to be secretive about them and tell your guards you're leaving to visit your parents for a few days or something."

"Oh Elphie that's perfect! And I'm sure Avery and Reed can work as perfect messengers. Speaking of Avery, you know she'll probably need to come back with us tomorrow? We can't have her stay missing."

Elphaba fidgeted with her fork. "I suppose your right." She turned to Avery. "But you better come home for spring break."

Avery nodded. "Of course."

Elphaba smiled then stood up and began to clear the table. Fiyero stood up and stretched. It had been a long day and everyone seemed pretty exhausted. Fiyero sorted out sleeping arrangements. It was going to be hard to figure this out since space was so limited. "Ok…Glinda you can sleep in Avery's bed. Avery and Elphaba you can share our bed. Reed can sleep on the couch and I'll get some blankets together and sleep on the floor."

Elphaba smiled and kissed her husband. "How generous of you."

Fiyero puffed out his chest jokingly. "Yes well I try to be brave and make sacrifices in times of trouble."

Elphaba smiled as she gathered blankets and pillows for Reed and Fiyero. Soon after she led Glinda to Avery's room to get her situated.

Avery was helping Reed get comfortable on the couch when shouts filled the cabin.

"GLINDA! IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?!?"

"Well um….It's not what it looks like!"

"HOW COULD THAT NOT BE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE? HOW COULD YOU?!"

Fiyero, Reed, and Avery sprinted to the room the shouts were coming from. They found a fuming Elphaba pointing at a pink, fur lined jacket on the floor. Glinda was practically cowering in the corner.

Fiyero was incredibly confused and alarmed. "What's wrong?!"

"Look at that!!" Elphaba hissed, motioning to the jacket.

"What about it? It's a perfectly nice-oh." He said, noticing the fur.

"Glinda an Animal was probably killed to make that jacket! I thought you were working FOR Animal rights!"

Glinda defended herself. "I am! Elphie that was made from animal! Not Animal! I had any killing of Animals band!"

Elphaba didn't believe her. "How could you know if this was Animal or not?! And even if it IS just animal, that's cruel! And only to make a fashion statement!"

Glinda rolled her eyes. "Sweet Oz Elphaba! It's just a jacket! It's not like a have a fur only wardrobe!"

Elphaba didn't speak and merely continue to glare at her. Glinda sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll get rid of the jacket and donate to a cause supporting Animal rights. Is that repentance enough?"

Elphaba continued to pout, but shrugged. She gave Glinda the slightest of nods. Glinda smiled. "Good. I swear Elphaba, you are so stubborn."

Fiyero smirked. "You're telling me." Elphaba threw a pillow at him but he quickly dodged back into the other room in escape.

Soon, every one in the house settled down and went to bed. But as they slept, the Gale Force was doubling their efforts. The palace was in a panic now that Lady Glinda had gone missing as well. Many assumed it to be the work of terrorists or the Witch. In response, the forces searching the forest were now delving deeper and bringing in more troops. Worried for their leader's life, they rarely bothered to stop and rest. They were willing to go to any length to find Glinda.

**A/N: Ok, so there is one chapter left. Possibly an epilogue after? I don't know. but anyways...does anyone have an idea for another story? I had fun writing this one so I want to write another...but I seem to be at a lack for inspiration. Any suggestions?**


	25. Back to the Emerald City

**A/N: sorry for the lack of updates :( Life is hectic. But since I live in SoCal and can barely go outside since the ash is so thick from the fires, I have a chance to update. After this there will be a short summary and short epilogue. Thanks for everyone who's been reading :)**

Glinda woke up early the next day. She slowly got out of bed and changed back into her dress. After taking time to fix her hair and wash her face, she left Avery's room and proceeded into the living room.

Reed and Fiyero were still fast asleep. Glinda quietly sneaked into the room and glanced out the window. She suppressed a pleasant gasp. The whole forest and clearing was covered in a white blanket of snow. Glinda smiled in quiet awe at the scene. She suddenly wanted to go walk in it. Ever since she had taken power, Glinda had rarely had time to enjoy the marvels of winter.

Still taking care to remain silent, she slipped on Elphaba's boots. They were big, but the only other shoes she had were her heels, so the boots would have to do. Glinda silently slipped out of the house.

----------------------------------

Reed was woken up by his mother aggressively shaking him. His eyes fluttered open to find her frantically trying to wake him up.

"What?" he asked, yawning.

"Get up NOW!" His mother hissed.

Reed sat up, sensing the urgency in his mother's voice. "What is it?"

"I just went for a walk and found members of the Gale Force about 20 minutes away. We have to leave…now!"

Reed sprang up from the couch without another thought. He landed on Fiyero, who had been sleeping on the floor next to the couch. Fiyero now sat up with a yelp, causing Reed to lose balance and land on the floor with a crash.

"What in Oz's name are you doing?!" Fiyero asked, obviously annoyed with Reed for the rather rude awakening.

Reed collected himself and stood up. "The Gale Force is coming! We need to go!"

Elphaba and Avery entered the room just in time to hear Reed's statement.

Elphaba's emerald complexion paled. Without a word, Avery went to her room and began to hurriedly pack her bags.

Fiyero stood up. "Right. Glinda, Reed; get ready to leave. You have nothing to pack so it shouldn't take you much time. Elphaba, stay calm. We will have them out of here in 5 minutes. As soon as they run into the Gale Force, they will call off the search and we won't have to worry about being found."

Elphaba forced a smile. Though she was aware that Fiyero was trying to be brave and comforting, she could tell that he was just as scared as she was. But they both knew that it was time to act not to panic.

Avery emerged from her room with a packed bag. "Alright, let's go!"

Glinda turned to Fiyero and Elphaba. "Right. Thank you for your hospitality my friends. It made me so happy to see you again." She swiftly hugged both of them. "I'll write to you soon."

Avery and Reed quickly made their goodbyes as well. The three were just about to leave when Elphaba stopped them.

"Glinda!! You're wearing my boots!"

"What?" Glinda looked down and realized she had forgotten to remove Elphaba's boots after her walk. "Oh...right. Um, one moment."

Glinda sat down and began to unlace the boots. Several minutes passed and she still was not done unlacing them. Finally the stress became too much for Elphaba.

"Lurline Glinda! It takes me 30 seconds to do it! Move your hands!" She sat down in front of Glinda and quickly began to unlace the boots. She had them off of Glinda's feet within 20 seconds.

Glinda quickly put her heels back on. "Thank you Elphie."

Elphaba forgot her panic for a moment and smirked. "Well if I had allowed you to continue at that pace, the Gale Force would have arrived and imprisoned us all before you were even finished with one boot."

Glinda huffed. "Don't exaggerate. In any case, we have to go. Goodbye."

Glinda turned to leave, but Elphaba grabbed her wrist and turned her around to face her.

"What is it Elphie?"

Elphaba didn't respond, but merely hugged Glinda fiercely. After a few seconds she let go. "Sorry. I just wanted to hug you once more before you left…I can't wait to see you again."

Glinda smiled. "Me too. But now we've better go. C'mon Avery, Reed."

The three quickly left the cottage and began to trudge through the snow as quickly as they could. Within 5 minutes they spotted members of the Gale Force. Glinda cleared her voice.

"My good men, after some diligent work you have found us! I thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

There was a pause before a gruff voice called out, "Lady Glinda? Is that you?"

Glinda appeared with Avery and Reed in tow. The young couple hung their heads in mock shame. "It is."

The man who spoke quickly bowed to her. "Milady! I can't tell you how happy we are to see you! We have been searching for you for almost two days now! All of Oz is in a panic."

Glinda put on the fake smile that she had mastered over the years. "Yes, my good officer, I am aware. And I am touched by your efforts. I apologize for my short, albeit sudden, absence. My son and his girlfriend ran off without a word of notice to anyone. And as his mother, I saw it as my maternal duty to see to the matter personally. I'll be making a public appearance later today, to thank Oz and apologize to them."

The apparent leader of the search group smiled and bowed again. "No need for apologies Lady Glinda. We are just glad to know you're safe and Oz can rest their worries. But we should be getting you back now…wait, what's that?" The man pointed over Glinda's shoulder.

Glinda tensed, and dearly hoped that Elphaba's cottage wasn't still in sight. Instead of turning around she continued to smile pleasantly. The smile was so forced, that her cheeks were beginning to cramp. "What's what?"

The man squinted, straining to clearly see what he was pointing at. "It looks…like a cottage of some sort."

Glinda turned around slowly. Yes. He was pointing to Elphaba's cottage. "It's nothing, just some abandoned house." She said, hoping he would drop the matter.

He didn't. "Maybe we should go check it out. Seems like the perfect place for bandits or crooks to hide out."

Glinda's cheeks became so strained by her smiling she began to worry she wouldn't be able to get rid of the grin. "Oh, please just leave it. We really need to return to the Emerald City."

The man smiled at her sympathetically. "Now Lady Glinda, I know you're tired, but this will only take a few minutes. You stay here, we'll be right back."

The search party began to proceed to the cottage. Glinda panicked, she had to think of something…and fast. Suddenly a thought struck her. "Oh my…I'm just so hungry…I think I may…" and without another word Glinda pretended to faint. She dropped into the snow with a soft thud.

The Gale Force immediately stopped and ran to her side. Reed joined them and propped his mother up. "Mother? Mother? Are you alright!?"

Glinda's eyes fluttered open. "Is that you Boq dear? Will you fetch me something to eat?"

Reed then caught on. His mother was not that dramatic, and was definitely not hungry enough to be delusional. The Gale Force on the other hand, was terrified.

Their leader stood up. "Quick! You two!" he commanded, pointing to two of his officers. "Pick the lady up! And be careful! We have to get her back to the Emerald City and quick!"

Immediately the two soldiers obeyed their commanding officer and within minutes the small party was heading back to the Emerald City.

A slight smile appeared on Glinda's supposedly unconscious face. She couldn't help but grin over how successful her plan had turned out to be. Not only had she saved Elphaba from being discovered, but now she would no longer have to walk to the Emerald City.


End file.
